TOMA (vehicle) Information

TOMA (Turkish: Toplumsal Olaylara Müdahale Aracı, English: Intervention Vehicle against Social Incidents), is an armored water cannon designed for riot control, from a Turkish company, Nurol Makina. It is used by the Turkish National Police and Turkish Gendarmerie, and has been exported to countries such as Azerbaijan, Libya, Zimbabwe, Georgia and Kazakhstan.

TOMA can be integrated on to different type of chassis such as 4x4, 4x2, 6x4, 6x2 and 6x6. TOMA can reach up to 100 km/h maximum speed and 30% gradient climbing capability. The critical sub-systems of the TOMA vehicles are also protected against ballistic threat.

According to an activist in Cihangir featured on Occupy Wall Street, "the only way to stop a TOMA is to throw paint on its window so that the vehicle loses orientation ... To paralyze it, you either have to put a wet towel in its exhaust pipe or burn something under its engine or you and a dozen others can push it over. This kind of battle-info is circulating all over Turkey at the moment."

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