Otokar Cobra

Otokar Cobra I
An Otokar Cobra in Bangladesh victory day parade
Type	Infantry mobility vehicle
Place of origin	Turkey
Service history
In service	1997–present
Used by	Operators
Wars	War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Russo-Georgian War Kurdish–Turkish conflict Boko Haram insurgency Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Olive Branch Kosovo War
Production history
Designer	Otokar
Manufacturer	Otokar
Developed into	Cobra II
Variants	Configurable as Armoured Personnel Carrier, Anti-Tank Vehicle, Amphibious vehicle, Reconnaissance Vehicle, Ground Surveillance Radar Vehicle, Forward Observation Vehicle, Armoured Ambulance
Specifications
Mass	6,200 kg (13,700 lb)
Length	5.23 m (17.2 ft)
Width	2.22 m (7 ft 3 in)
Height	2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)
Crew	1+8
Engine	6.5 L, GM V8 diesel, water cooled, turbo charged 190 hp
Transmission	4-speed automatic
Suspension	Helical coil suspension
Operational range	752 km
Maximum speed	115 km/h (72 mph)

The Cobra (Turkish: Kobra) is a family of armoured tactical vehicle developed by Turkish firm Otokar. It is produced in two generations – the Cobra I and the Cobra II. The first generation has some subsystems from the Humvee.^[1][2] The second generation was designed as an improvement over the first with better mobility, payload capacity, and enhanced protection against ballistic and mine threats.^[3]

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.^[1] Otokar Cobras also have the option to be fitted with Q-Nets.

In December 2016, footage of a PKK attack against Turkish M-60 Sabra tanks circulated the Internet, showing the crew of a Cobra APC surviving a direct hit from a shoulder-launched, RPG-7 anti-tank rocket. ^[4]

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.^[1]

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.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2008 South Ossetia war, Cobra vehicles equipped with 12.7 mm NSV machine guns and 40 mm automatic grenade launchers^[5] 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 was destroyed and captured by the Russian army.^[6] Cobras were also used by Georgian UN forces in the Central African Republic.^[7]

The Nigerian military has deployed Cobras during operations against the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east of the country since 2013.^[8]

Cobras are actively being used by the Turkish Armed Forces within the country for anti-terrorism operations.^{[citation needed]}

Cobras have shown to be highly resistant against most mine and IED attacks, with the crew surviving most incidents without any injuries. The increasing sophistication of IED use by the PKK and the loss of eight soldiers inside one on August 19, 2015, has prompted the Turkish Armed Forces to upgrade its fleet of armoured vehicles.^[9] This has, in part, led to additional orders for the improved Cobra II.^[10]

Cobras have also been used effectively by Turkish backed militias against ISIS and YPG during Operation Euphrates Shield.^{[citation needed]}

Cobras were used by the Turkish Armed Forces as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force and Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.^{[citation needed]}

A Burkinabe army vehicle was struck by an IED in the area of Kompienbiga, after hitting an IED laid by insurgents. The explosion overturned the vehicle, after which it caught fire; there were three killed and four wounded in the attack.^[11]

Otokar Cobra II
Otokar Cobra II at the IDEF 2019
Type	Infantry mobility vehicle with MRAP capabilities
Place of origin	Turkey
Service history
In service	2013–present
Used by	Operators
Wars	Russian invasion of Ukraine
Production history
Designer	Otokar
Manufacturer	Otokar
Developed from	Cobra I
Specifications
Mass	12,000 kg (26,000 lb)
Length	5.6 m (18 ft)
Width	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height	2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Crew	2+7
Engine	6.7L, six-cylinder, water cooled, turbo charged, common rail, diesel engine 281 hp
Transmission	6-speed automatic (6 forward + 1 reverse)
Suspension	Helical coil suspension
Operational range	700 km (430 mi)
Maximum speed	110 km/h (68 mph)

The Cobra II (Turkish: Kobra II), a further development of the earlier Cobra I model,^[3] is an armoured tactical vehicle designed and produced by Turkish company Otokar.^[12] Cobra II is a 4x4 wheeled armoured vehicle and has a capacity for nine personnel including the driver and the commander.^[13] It features high level of protection against threats from improvised explosive devices and land mines. Among its various functions are security and peacekeeping operations and border protection. The personnel carrier can be produced in different versions, according to different security requirements of the user thanks to its modular design.^[14]

The tactical personnel carrier's overall length is 5.6 m (18 ft) with its width 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and height 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in). Run flat, CTIS, air conditioning system, blackout lighting system and towing eye are among the standard equipment of the vehicle. It can be additionally fitted with a self-recovery winch, a CBRN filtration kit, automatic fire extinguishing system, navigation system, intercom system and an auxiliary power unit. It can be optionally equipped with a remote controlled weapon system (RCWS) of up to 30 mm machine gun or grenade launcher.^[13]

It serves in the Turkish Armed Forces and security forces. It is also used by several other countries as well as by the United Nations in peacekeeping missions.^[14] The development of the armoured vehicle, which is used for patrolling at the Syria–Turkey barrier, was funded by the European Union.^[15] It was presented for the first time in May 2013.^[13]

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.^[16]

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.^{[17][unreliable source?]} 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.^[16]

Cobra II is powered by a 6.7L, six-cylinder, water cooled, turbo charged, common rail, diesel engine mated to an automatic gearbox (six forward and one reverse). It produces a power of 360 hp (269 kW) at 2,650rpm, and torque of 1100Nm at 1,400rpm. The engine is also compatible with F-34 and F-54 fuel. It has a maximum speed of 110 km/h (68 mph) and can operate in range of 700 km (430 mi).^{[citation needed]}

The first orders for the Cobra II were received from an undisclosed customer, and from the Turkish Armed Forces.^[16]

In late 2015, the Turkish Armed Forces ordered 82 Cobra II vehicles plus related systems, maintenance and support worth $52 million.^[16][18][10] 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.^[19] Assuming the same value to vehicle ratio as the 2015 order, this would imply an order of about 180 vehicles.^[19]

Received 22 Cobra IMV in 2007–2008, 22 in 2013, and 67 Cobra II MRAP in 2017–2018.^[20]

In May 2023 a video was posted on social media showing several Cobra II vehicles in use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A rail transport of Cobra II, assumed to be intended for Ukraine, was previously spotted in Romania in April 2023.^[21] The MEDEVAC variant of the Cobra II was first seen in use by the Ukrainian forces during the 2024 Kursk offensive.^[3]

The Cobra II won the contract tender for supplying 1,059 vehicles in nine configurations for the Romanian Armed Forces as part of the Light armored tactical type vehicles (ATBTU) program.^[22] The total cost of the contract is around $934 million. The first 278 vehicles are to be produced in Turkey^[23] while the rest will be produced in Romania in cooperation with the Automecanica SA company in Mediaș. A Cobra II fitted with a Romanian Pro Optica Anubis RCWS was previously presented at the Black Sea Defense & Aerospace [ro] 2024 exposition.^[24]

•  Algeria^[1]
•  Azerbaijan^[25]
•  Bahrain^[26][27]
•  Bangladesh^[28]
•  Burkina Faso^[29]
•  Chad^[30]
•  Gambia^[31][32]
•  Georgia^[1]
•  Ghana^[33]
•  Kazakhstan^[34]
•  Kosovo^[35]
•  Maldives^{[1][unreliable source?]}
•  Mauritania^[36]
•  Montenegro^[37]
•  Nigeria: 194 Cobras.^[38]
•  North Macedonia^[39]
•  Rwanda: 30 Cobras.^[38] Used in UN peacekeeping ops in the Central African Republic.^[38]
•  Saudi Arabia^[40]
•  Slovenia^[41]
•  Syria — Small number captured from ISIL, which in turn captured them from Turkish-backed rebel forces^[42][43]
• Syrian National Army
•  Turkey^[1]
•  Turkmenistan — 100+ bought in the mid-2010s. Used by the State Border Service.^[44]
•  United Arab Emirates^[1]
•  United Nations^[45]

•  Azerbaijan^[16][10][19]
•  Bangladesh^[28]
•  Ecuador^[46]
•  Ghana^[33]
•  Ivory Coast^[47][48]
•  Kazakhstan^[49][50]
•  Morocco^{[51][52][53][54]}
•  Romania – 1,059 vehicles on order^[23]
•  Rwanda^[55]
•  Saudi Arabia^[56][57][58]
•  Senegal^[59][60][61]
•  Tunisia^[62]
•  Turkey^[16][10][19]
•  Ukraine^[63]

• 
  With the Slovenian Armed Forces
• 
  Otokar Cobras during 2011 Baku Military Parade
• 
  Cobra cockpit design
• 
  Macedonian Army Cobra 4x4
• 
  Otokar Cobra of Bangladesh Army
• 
  Georgian Otokar Kobra
• 
  Otokar Cobra of Bangladesh Police

• Komatsu LAV of Japan
• Véhicule Blindé Léger of France
• Dozor-B of Ukraine
• VN-4 of China
• P2 (armoured vehicle) of Indonesia
• MOWAG Eagle

• Otokar of Turkey