Otokar has established a joint venture with Romania’s Automecanica S.A. to manufacture COBRA II vehicles, marking Turkiye’s largest armoured export deal.
Otokar and Romania’s Automecanica S.A. will jointly produce COBRA II armoured vehicles and deliver engineering and logistics support through a 50–50 partnership.
Turkiye’s leading land systems manufacturer and exporter, Otokar, has announced establishing a joint venture with Romanian defence company Automecanica S.A. to produce the COBRA II 4x4 ATBTU locally. The announcement follows the contract the Romanian Ministry of Defence awarded in November 2024 to deliver 1,059 COBRA II vehicles.
Otokar disclosed the Deal via a public statement on the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) and supported it with a formal press release. The Deal marks a significant turning point in the company’s worldwide development plan. Held equally by Otokar Land Systems SRL and Automecanica S.A., the new joint venture will produce the cars in Romania and manage engineering, marketing, and after-sales activities there.
Local Production to Strengthen Strategic Presence
Otokar’s cooperation is to place Romania as a strategic manufacturing centre inside Europe as part of its dedication to strengthening industrial cooperation and localisation initiatives. A subsidiary of Turkiye’s largest industrial conglomerate, Koç Holding, Otokar has grown its presence considerably over past years and presently provides military vehicles to more than 40 nations.
The statement given to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) indicates that the JV’s beginning capital is first 20,000 RON and will rise to 500,000 RON if requirements like permitting and regulatory clearances are met.
It is also envisaged that the production will be crtarried out at facilities to be leased by Automecanica to the joint venture. Manufacturing will utilise vehicle kits and components to be exported from Turkiye under separate supply, technical support, and licensing agreements to be signed between Otokar and the JV.
Özüner: OTOKAR strengthens its presence in global markets
Otokar CEO Aykut Özüner stated that Otokar is the largest land platforms exporter of Turkiye and pointed out this agreement as one of the most important steps in Otokar’s growth strategy in the defence industry. “Being a global player in the defence industry, Otokar has become Turkiye’s largest land platform exporter. We proudly operate in many different regions over the world with our military vehicles, which are successfully serving in more than 40 countries. As part of our ongoing project in Romania, we are pleased to announce that we took the first step for the establishment of our new joint venture company for manufacturing our legendary COBRA II vehicles in Romania. This step will be one of the main milestones in Otokar’s growth strategy in the defence industry, contributing to our company’s expansion in global markets.”
Vehbi: Romania to Become Otokar’s European Centre
The venture is also aligned with Romania’s defence industrial development priorities. Sedef Vehbi, Head of Otokar’s Military Cluster, emphasised the significance of the decision:
“We are immensely proud to have been selected by the Romanian Ministry of Defence for this landmark project. In line with our localisation and challenging delivery commitments to the esteemed Romanian government, we selected Romania’s Automecanica S.A. as our trusted local partner following a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation process. In this decision, the company’s technical competence and proven manufacturing capabilities played an important role. Now it is the time to execute, and we, as shareholders, are thrilled and fully committed to delivering excellence while further strengthening Romania’s defence capabilities.
Automecanica S.A. Chairman Andrei Scobioala echoed this view, highlighting Romania’s growing role in European defence supply chains:
“Our unwavering commitment to this project leaves no room for doubt—this partnership will be a key driver in advancing Romania’s local defence capabilities.”
Conclusion
Setting up the joint venture between Otokar and Automecanica is more than a manufacturing project; it shows a larger dedication to European defence self-reliance and bilateral industrial cooperation. Production is intended to give Romania a fleet of contemporary armoured vehicles and improved domestic capacity in design, logistics, and systems integration—an outcome consistent with the long-term strategic objectives of both partners.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
