Friday, October 30, 2020

Otokar Cobra Information

October 30, 2020 Posted By AdseRudita

The Cobra (Turkish: Kobra) is an infantry mobility vehicle developed by Turkish firm Otokar which uses some mechanical components and sub-systems of the HMMWV.

The monocoque steel v-hull provides protection against small arms fire, artillery shell shrapnel, and to a certain degree against anti-personnel and tank mines, and IEDs. Front wheel arches are designed to be blown away to free blast pockets.

In December 2016, footage of an ISIL attack against Turkish M-60 Sabra tanks circulating the Internet, showed the crew of a Cobra APC surviving a direct hit from an ISIL RPG.

Cobra

The Cobra vehicle forms a common platform which can be adapted for various roles and mission requirements including: armoured personnel carrier, anti-tank vehicle, reconnaissance vehicle, ground surveillance radar vehicle, forward observation vehicle, armoured ambulance, armoured command post, turreted vehicle for 12.7mm machine gun (turret produced by the Israeli firm Rafael), 20mm cannon, anti-tank missiles such as the TOW missile and Spike missiles or surface-to-air missiles.

Cobras can be used as amphibious combat vehicles. Turkish naval forces are currently looking for a new amphibious vehicle and the Cobra is listed among the candidates for acquisition.

Cobra II

First unveiled at IDEF 2013, the Cobra II is a more heavily armoured successor to the Cobra. The Cobra II has a combat weight that is roughly double that of its predecessor and is slightly wider, longer and taller.

Standard equipment includes rear view camera, thermal front camera, air conditioning system, blackout lighting system, multi-point seat belts, radio provisions, and a towing eye. It can be optionally equipped with a self-recovery winch, nuclear, biological and chemical filtration kit, automation fire extinguishing system, intercom system, navigation system and an auxiliary power unit. In an APC configuration, the vehicle can carry nine personnel and can be armed with a number of different weapons, including crew-operated machine guns and remote weapon stations armed with short-range surface-to-air missiles and grenade launchers. Powered by a 6.7 L, six-cylinder, water cooled, turbo charged, common rail diesel engine that produces 281 hp, its maximum road speed is 110 km/h on roads and has a maximum cruising range of 700 km with an operating temperature from -10 up to 45 degree C.

Otokar has received orders for the Cobra II both from an undisclosed customer and from the Turkish Armed Forces.

In late 2015, the Turkish Armed Forces ordered 82 Cobra II vehicles plus related systems, maintenance and support worth $52 million. In June 2016, the Turkish Armed Forces ordered an undisclosed number of Cobra II vehicles plus related systems, maintenance and support worth $120.8 million. Assuming the same value to vehicle ratio as the 2015 order, this would imply an order of about 180 vehicles.

Cobra II amphibious

There is an amphibious and slightly larger variant of the Cobra II with a more powerful 6.7 L, 360Hp, V6 turbocharged engine that is capable of crossing lakes and smaller bodies of water.

Bangladesh Army operates 44 cobras, with 600+ units in order.received approximately 30 unit in early-mid April.

Received 20 Otokar Cobra II from Turkey in 2017.

In the 2008 South Ossetia war, Cobra vehicles equipped with 12.7 mm NSV machine guns and 40 mm automatic grenade launchers were used by the special forces of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs during their assault on the city in the Battle of Tskhinvali. One of the Cobras were destroyed and captured during 2008 South Ossetia war by Russian army. Cobras are also being used by Georgian UN forces in the Central African Republic.

According to sources, Pakistan purchased over 200 of these vehicles and plan to have about 500 in their inventory. A deal was concluded with TOT and the remaining vehicles are to be produced at Heavy Industries Taxila with additional orders for Otokar Akrep.

The Nigerian military has deployed Cobras during operations against the terrorist Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east of the country since 2013.