On Friday, January 16, 2026, the press service of the Romanian Land Forces (Forţele Terestre Române) announced on social media the induction into service of the first batch of Cobra II 4×4 light armored tactical vehicles manufactured by the Turkish company Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi.
Photos: Forţele Terestre Române via Facebook
Let us recall that on June 10, 2025, Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi announced that it had delivered the first batch of 14 Cobra II vehicles to Romania, which were to undergo local adaptation for the new user. On July 23, information emerged about the delivery of a further 40 vehicles.
Earlier, on October 4, 2024, the Turkish defense industry portal SavunmaSanayiST reported that Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi had won a tender issued by the Ministry of Defence of Romania for the delivery of 1,059 light armored tactical vehicles, offering the Cobra II 4×4 model. On March 20, 2024, it was reported that Otokar was the sole bidder in the ATBTU program (Autovehicule tactice blindate de tip ușor).
As reported at the time, the manufacturer began negotiations with the Romanian state-owned company Compania Nationala Romtehnica, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. The contract signed on November 27, 2024, is valued at 4,263,286,655.66 RON and also includes selected integrated logistics support services. The overall budget of the program amounts to 4.58 billion RON.
As part of the offset arrangement, the first 278 vehicles will be delivered by the Turkish side, while the remaining 781 will be license-produced domestically at a new facility to be built by Compania Nationala Romtehnica. In addition, the vehicles will be integrated with Anubis remotely operated weapon stations manufactured by the Romanian company Pro Optica. They will be delivered in nine configurations, including a basic infantry carrier, tank destroyer, reconnaissance vehicle, forward observation post, and armored ambulance.
On April 25, 2025, the Turkish manufacturer signed an agreement with the Romanian company Automecanica to establish a joint venture responsible for local production. Under the agreement, Otokar Land Systems and Automecanica will each hold a 50% stake in the joint venture, which will also be responsible for engineering activities, marketing, and after-sales support services in Romania.
Penalty for Delays
At the same time, the Turkish daily Dünya reported that Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi had announced it agreed to pay a contractual penalty of 191.8 million RON to Compania Nationala Romtehnica for delays in preparations for local production, as well as an additional 7.3 million RON for delays in the delivery of 194 vehicles from the first batch shipped from Turkey.
Vehicle Overview
The Cobra II is a development of the first-generation vehicle produced since 1997. In the case of Cobra I, many components were derived from the HMMWV platform, and the chassis featured a V-shaped hull. The Cobra II is characterized by a higher share of domestically produced components.
The Cobra II made its debut in 2013 at the IDEF defense industry exhibition in Istanbul. To date, the vehicle has entered service with Turkey’s armed forces and security services and has been exported to Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Rwanda, Senegal, Tunisia, and Côte d’Ivoire. It has also been observed in the inventories of Kurdish forces (as captured equipment) and in Ukraine, although the source of supply in the latter case remains unknown. In January 2024, Morocco announced plans to procure vehicles of this variant. The Cobra II was also recently offered, unsuccessfully, to Estonia.
In the basic variant, the crew consists of two soldiers (commander and driver), with space for seven dismounts. The vehicle is 5.6 m long, 2.5 m wide, and 2.2 m high. Its combat weight is up to 14.5 tonnes, with a ground clearance of 400 mm (it is worth noting here that the ATBTU program requirement specified a combat weight of up to 12 tonnes, but a heavier vehicle was allowed to proceed provided it passed tests with positive results – editor’s note). Compared to its predecessor, it features enhanced ballistic and mine protection.
It is powered by a twin-turbocharged diesel engine producing 360 hp, with power transmitted to all wheels via an automatic transmission. The vehicle features fully independent suspension and 395/85 R20 run-flat tires.
It can ford water obstacles up to 1 m deep, climb gradients with a 60% approach angle, operate on side slopes of up to 30%, overcome vertical obstacles up to 0.5 m high, descend slopes of up to 45%, and climb slopes of up to 55%. The maximum speed is 110 km/h, and the operational range is 700 km.
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