OTOKAR introduced its first 8x8 military vehicle ARMA II, with a home-grown engine, after a 6,000-kilometre road test. The Ecotorq engine that produces 720 horsepower, developed by OTOKAR, is also ready for serial production. The company is preparing the vehicle for the Turkish Armed Forces’Forces’ new generation 8X8 armoured vehicle procurement plan.
The Ecotorq is a diesel engine Ford Otosan designed and produced for the first time, mainly used in Ford Cargo trucks.
OTOKAR started to produce the ARMA armoured vehicle family in 2006. The first export of the vehicle took place in 2015, and most recently, around 400 8x8 vehicles in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), together with a local partner. UAE vehicles are equipped with BMP-3 turrets and are named Rabdan.
ARMA II emerged due to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) requirements, which offer enhanced ballistic protection and increased interior volume. Weight and dimension changes make it possible to use heavier and larger turret systems. The resulting ARMA II is approximately 10 tons heavier than its predecessor ARMA. 
While the previous ARMA used the 105 mm gun-equipped Cockerill turret, the ARMA II has become able to use 120-millimetre heavy weapon systems. In line with the demands of the TAF, the vehicle was developed, taking into account the asymmetrical threats, which are frequently encountered during conflicts in different geographies and conventional combat conditions. The 40-ton vehicle was designed to offer the highest ballistic protection against barrelled gun rounds as well as mine and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in its class, efficiently combined with high off-road capability in an optimum way.
ARMA II can be customised to fill different user requirements for many tasks thanks to its modular design. In addition to being used as a standard wheeled armoured combat vehicle and armoured personnel carrier for the infantry class, different weapon systems, equipment, and various task-defined subcomponents can be integrated into ARMA II. The vehicle can carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance tasks with surveillance and detection systems and as a command-and-control vehicle with its large interior volume and fast deployment capability. With the appropriate subsystems, ARMA II can serve during Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) tasks thanks to the additional volume provided by the enlarged hull main structure. It can perform various tasks such as maintenance repair and ambulance purposes. ARMA is the only vehicle in its weight class with amphibious capability. ARMA II does not have the amphibious capability.
Explaining the vehicle to Anadolu Agency, OTOKAR General Manager Serdar Görgüç said, “We started working on a variant of ARMA two years ago in line with the evolving requirements, adaptability to many different platforms, different tasks, and demands for higher protection against increasing threats. At the end of the studies, we named the platform ARMA II.”Referring to the main differences between ARMA and ARMA II vehicles, Görgüç said: “It is about carrying capacity. We have an axle carrying capacity of up to 30 tons in ARMA, while we increase it to 40 tons in ARMA II. Therefore, we provide more protection against both mine and kinetic energy threats. We have a different suspension system and different axles. ARMA II provides the user with large volumes, protection, and adaptability to more tasks.”Serdar Görgüç said that as OTOKAR, they had done a lot of work to reduce dependency on foreign subsystems and increase the rate of domestic products. Pointing out that there are many domestic systems in ARMA II, Görgüç made the following assessments:“We use many locally produced subsystems here that are unavailable in ARMA. For example, the suspension system and transfer box were imported into ARMA, and we used OTOKAR-design domestic product in ARMA II. In addition, we use a domestic engine in ARMA II.
We use the 12.7-litre Ecotorq engine in ARMA II. In ARMA II, we offer international users two engine options with the same power, domestic and foreign. In this context, Turkiye’s first 8x8 vehicle is equipped with a domestic engine. ARMA II is, in this sense. It is also an important step. Except for the gearbox in the power pack, all other cooling systems are OTOKAR design and domestically manufactured.”Görgüç also gave information about the stage reached in the development of the vehicle and said that the tests for ARMA II have been going on for about three years. Serdar Görgüç gave some clues about the cost of the vehicle with the following words:“We have completed all the vehicle qualifications and are ready for mass production with imported and domestic engines; we are at a level to enter mass production immediately. When we look at the domestic engine, it is the product of approximately 3.5 years of work. With the militarisation of the existing engine and making it suitable for OTOKAR’s use, dynamometer tests were carried out in the past years. Vehicle integration was made at the beginning of 2022. We have completed reliability, maintainability and system-level qualification tests throughout 2022. We are at a level where we can enter mass production at any time. We do not need any additional investment. We have made all relevant investments and are ready for mass production.”
Görgüç also stated that the ARMA II platform was ready to be used in the “Next Generation Vehicles Project” by the Turkish Armed Forces. He said he thought he was a strong candidate. Görgüç also said they plan to introduce ARMA II in two markets in 2023.Stating that they plan to continue the production of the current ARMA, Görgüç continued: “Our ARMA family has achieved a high level of user satisfaction. Our multi-wheeled armoured vehicle family has expanded further with ARMA II, which we developed with our own resources, considering the evolving needs and demands of our users and new threats. We believe that ARMA II, just like ARMA, will soon be amongst the top priorities of modern armies. We aim to reenforce OTOKAR’s success in armoured combat vehicles with ARMA II.”
