Turkish Otokar plans to design and produce military vehicles in Romania

The management of Turkish group Otokar announced that it plans to design and produce military vehicles in Romania through its local joint venture with Automecanica, according to TechRider.ro. The two companies are preparing to launch the production of Cobra II 4×4 armored vehicles in Romania soon.

"We are very interested in collaborating with Automecanica. We intend to carry out research and development activities. We intend to develop vehicles in Romania, manufactured in Romania," said Sedef Vehbi, Deputy General Manager - Military Vehicles at Otokar, during the IDEF 2025 military fair, held in Istanbul and in which TechRider is participating.

She added that these vehicles will be promoted on the market by the company in Romania, not by Otokar in Turkey.

"I am speaking on behalf, with your permission, of the joint venture established in Romania. And we really want to promote this project from within Romania, not from Turkey. (…) We want to overcome any obstacle as a Romanian company," she added.

The Romanian Army is to receive 1,059 Cobra II 4×4 armored vehicles. The first 278 units are manufactured in Turkey.

Subsequently, about 800 of the armored vehicles will be produced in Romania, under a joint venture agreement signed by Otokar with the Romanian defense company Automecanica.

(Photo: Otokar)