Otokar delivers the first 14 COBRA II 4x4 vehicles to Romania, which undergoes local systems integration as part of a broader defence industrial partnership.
Otokar has delivered the first 14 COBRA II 4x4 tactical armoured vehicles to Romania via sea transport. The vehicles which arrived in Mediaș were observed without mounted weapon systems. Otokar emphasised via social media that these technologies will be installed domestically in Romania as part of continuous industrial collaboration.
This delivery is part of a larger contract that Otokar and Romania’s Ministry of National Defence inked last year to buy 1,059 COBRA II vehicles. This is one of the biggest foreign purchases for the platform. The first 278 cars will be made in Otokar’s Sakarya facility in Turkiye, while critical subsystems will be brought in from Romania and integrated into vehicles to boost local industry participation.
In parallel, Otokar recently signed a joint venture agreement with Romanian defence firm Automecanica S.A., aiming to establish a 50-50 local production company. The joint venture is also seen as a step towards strategic autonomy in land systems production within the EU framework.
The procurement includes 10 mission-specific variants of the COBRA II, such as:
* Personnel carrier (with and without RCWS)
* Reconnaissance vehicle
* Anti-tank weapon carrier
* Anti-tank command post
* 81 mm and 120 mm mortar carriers
* Engineering vehicle
* CBRN reconnaissance vehicle
* Armoured ambulance
The localisation efforts are part of Romania’s broader initiative to modernise its land forces. In a related development, Romania’s MoD is planning to procure 246 tracked infantry fighting vehicles over the next eight years, including logistics support and training simulators. This separate programme is expected to be contracted before the end of 2025. Otokar offers TULPAR IFV to that project.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
