ANKARA: Türkiye’s 8X8 military vehicle platform, which was developed within the Turkish defense industry and constitutes a reliable solution for mobile heavy weapon systems, made its debut abroad.
BMC, one of Türkiye’s leading commercial and military vehicle manufacturers, is showcasing its military vehicles in Paris at Eurosatory 2024, Europe’s largest and the world’s leading defense industry exhibition that is held every two years. Eurosatory 2024 is taking place from June 17-21.
BMC, which took its place at the exhibition as the land vehicle export champion of the Turkish defense industry, introduced its KIRPI II, an upgraded version of the mine-protected vehicle KIRPI equipped with independent suspension and the latest technology; ALTUG 8×8, which offers multi-tasking capability on a single platform with its modular ceiling concept, AMAZON 4X4 with its renewed design and high maneuverability, and 8X8 military vehicles that stand out with their powerful engines and high traction power.
BMC POWER, which develops power groups within BMC, took its place at the fair with the 400-horsepower engine named TUNA developed by Turkish engineers, the 600-horsepower marine engine LEVEND designed for marine vehicles and the 1,000-horsepower UTKU.
The 8X8 military vehicle platform developed by BMC and used in the ARPAN-155 howitzer system was showcased abroad for the first time at Eurosatory.
The platform, which has a cabin with high ballistic protection and ammunition cabinets, reaches a high traction performance and a speed of 80 kilometers per hour with a 675-horsepower engine.
It has hydraulically controlled rear spurs and front legs and allows manual or automatic loading.
Offering a 1,228-millimeter upward and 302-millimeter lateral weapon mobility, the vehicle platform can operate on a 60% vertical and 30% lateral slope with its 8X8 traction system.
With these mobility capabilities, the platform, which has the capacity to carry 24 rounds of ammunition, offers the opportunity to prepare for firing or change positions in two minutes.
By reflecting its design and development capabilities to the modular structure of the 8X8 military vehicle platform, BMC will be able to produce the vehicles needed for the recently developed weapon and missile systems within the Turkish defense industry.
Meanwhile, Roketsan, another of Türkiye’s leading weapons manufacturers, is also exhibiting its state-of-the-art products at the exhibition.
At its booth at Eurosatory 2024, Roketsan showcased the MAM-C, MAM-L IIR and MAM-T IIR from the Smart Micro Munition family; the TEBER Guidance Kit and LACIN Guidance Kit from precision guided systems; the KARAOK Short Range Anti-Tank Weapon, OMTAS Medium Range Anti-Tank Weapon and UMTAS-GM Extended Long Range Anti-Tank Missile from the anti-tank systems; SUNGUR Air Defense Missile System, HISAR-O Medium Altitude Air Defense Missile, TRLG-122 and TRLG-230 missiles and CAKIR cruise missile.
‘Our products continue to enter the inventories of many countries’
Murat Ikinci, general manager of Roketsan, said they are competing with the world’s leading companies with increasing export figures. Ikinci noted that they aim to hold important meetings during the exhibition.
Drawing attention to Türkiye’s rising position in the defense industry, Ikinci added: “Our state-of-the-art products, which we have developed in accordance with NATO standards, continue to enter the inventories of many countries. Much of our field-proven ammunition, which we produce with our pioneering technology, outperforms its competitors with its superior performance.
“Eurosatory 2024 offers us the opportunity to promote our products more, especially to European countries. In this sense, we believe that we will return with new collaborations from the exhibition attended by decision-makers from many geographies of the world, notably European countries.”
