By Spy Uganda
Kampala: As the nation prepares for 2021 general elections, the Defence Ministry seems to be ready to provide ‘required’ security as it makes orders with Otokar Otomotive Savunma Sanayi A.Ş, also known simply as Otokar, a Turkish military vehicle manufacturer to supply Uganda with Arma 8×8 and Cobra II 4×4 tactical wheeled armoured vehicles.
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Last month, Otokar announced that it had signed a contract to supply 100 of its Arma 8×8 and Cobra II armoured vehicles to an African country which it declined to name.
However, through our sources, TheSpy Uganda has established that Uganda is among the clients and this will be the first export contract for the Otokar Arma 8×8 armoured vehicle to an African country, and delivery is slated for early 2021 and will be completed by the end of 2022.
Otokar General Manager Serdar Görgüç, said, “With this order, our Arma 8×8 vehicle will be an African passenger for the first time; it will serve in the African continent. It also makes us proud that this new order came from a country to which we have been exporting before. Our vehicles, which our user has included in his inventory…became a reference for this new order; they preferred Otokar to meet their 4×4 and 8×8 tactical wheeled armoured vehicle needs.”
Serdar Görgüç also noted that despite the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Otokar continues to increase its exports of armoured vehicles, which it designs in-house saying they stand out for their high level of protection and superior mobility.
He stated that Otokar’s, armoured vehicles are preferred in the international arena, displaying worldwide the nation’s defense industry capabilities as well as Turkey’s engineers and workers’ efforts.
About Arma 8×8
Arma is 6×6 and 8×8 amphibious wheeled armoured combat vehicle family designed and developed by Otokar. The vehicle is a modular multi-wheel configurable with a high level of ballistic and mine protection due to its high hardness monocoque steel hull.
Otokar developed the vehicle to target the Turkish Land Forces’ Special Purpose Tactical Wheeled Armoured Vehicle. It is competing against two other vehicles in the shape of FNSS Defence Systems’ Pars and HEMA Endustri’s Anafarta, a variant of Patria’s 6×6 Armoured Modular Vehicle.
About Cobra II
The Cobra II, further development of the existing Cobra, is a 4×4 wheeled armoured vehicle and has a capacity for nine personnel including the driver and the commander. It features a high level of protection against threats from improvised explosive devices, land mines. Among its various functions are security and peacekeeping operations and border protection.
The tactical personnel carrier’s overall length is 5.6 m (18 ft) with its width 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and height 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in). Run-flat, CTIS, air conditioning system, blackout lighting system and towing eye are among the standard equipment of the vehicle.
It can be additionally fitted with a self-recovery winch, a CBRN filtration kit, automatic fire extinguishing system, navigation system, intercom system and an auxiliary power unit. It can be optionally equipped with a remote-controlled weapon system (RCWS) of up to 30 mm machine gun or grenade launcher.
It serves in the Turkish Armed Forces and security forces. It is also used by several other countries as well as by the United Nation in peacekeeping missions. The development of the armoured vehicle, which is used for patrolling at the Syria–Turkey barrier, was funded by the European Union.
