Romania is buying more than 1,000 Turkish Cobra II armored personnel carriers and plans to localize their production

Turkish company Otokar has announced that it has received an official invitation to begin contract negotiations for Romania's tender for the purchase of 1,059 Cobra II 4×4 light tactical armored vehicles. Under the proposed $940 million production plan, the first batch of 278 vehicles will be built at Otokar plants, with production moving to Romania.

This tender was organized by the company CN Romtehnica SA, subordinate to the Ministry of National Defense of Romania. Otokar said the tender is worth 4,263,286,655.66 lei, which is equivalent to approximately 32 billion Turkish liras, 939,837,706.28 US dollars or 856,555,680.45 euros at the current exchange rate. This amount, excluding VAT, represents about 118% of Otokar's gross sales revenue as reported in its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023.

“Otokar” first announced its participation in the tender on March 20, 2024, when the company applied for this purchase. Since then, the selection process has included a series of evaluations, including a technical evaluation, field tests and a commercial evaluation to ensure that the equipment meets Romania's defense requirements. After completing these evaluations, Romtehnica invited Otokar to continue contract negotiations. This step marks a key advance in the tender process and confirms Otokar's role as a bidder for this contract.

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In the tender, Romania plans to purchase 1,059 tactical wheeled light armored vehicles 4×4, as well as integrated logistics services. According to the proposed production plan, the first batch of 278 cars will be manufactured at Otokar factories, with production moving to Romania. The specifics of this local production structure, aimed at strengthening Romania's defense production capabilities, are yet to be determined and will be aligned with local defense and economic objectives.

At the exhibition Black Sea Defense & Aerospace (BSDA) 2024 in Bucharest, which took place from May 22 to 24, Otokar confirmed that it presented the Cobra II 4×4 protected patrol vehicle to the Romanian Army. As part of its bid, Otokar unveiled a technology transfer agreement that will see the Cobra II produced in Romania in partnership with Automecanica SA in Mediaş, Transylvania.

At the show, Otokar showcased a pickup-style configuration of the Cobra II equipped with a remote guided weapons system Anubis 3.0 (ROWS), developed by the Romanian company Pro Optica. At a press conference, Cedef Vehbi, head of Otokar's military cluster, said the company plans to support research and production activities at its Romanian facility, which could serve as a European production hub. Otokar also announced plans to enter into offset contracts with local suppliers, including Pro Optica.

Current Cobra II operators include Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Romania, Tunisia, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal. The car is used by the Turkish Armed Forces and participated in UN peacekeeping operations. Recently, the UAF used Cobra IIs for medical evacuation during the Kursk offensive, and Saudi special forces purchased Cobra IIs to increase security in Mecca.