The Romanian Ministry of Defense has selected Turkish firm Otokar to supply over 1,000 light armored tactical military vehicles to the Romanian Army.
A total of 1,059 Cobra II Light Armored Tactical Wheeled Vehicles will be delivered under the 426.3 billion Romanian leu ($934 million) contract, excluding value-added tax.
The contract includes nine configurations, comprising a base model and eight variants.
The first 278 vehicles will be produced at Otokar’s facilities in Turkey, while the remaining vehicles will be manufactured in Romania under a future framework agreement.
Contract Conditions
Otokar was awarded the contract following technical evaluations, field tests, and a commercial evaluation process.
According to Bucharest-based news outlet Umbrela Strategica, Otokar was the sole bidder in the tender, as potential competitors — such as French firm Arquus and Turkish group Nurol Makina — opted out due to contractual obligations. These included the requirement for the majority of production to take place in Romania and for maintenance to be handled by local firms.
Oshkosh Defense also initially expressed interest in the competition. However, the US Congress did not approve the required technology transfer, which was a condition of the contract.
Cobra II Vehicle
The Cobra II Light Armored Tactical Wheeled Vehicle offers enhanced mobility, ballistic and mine protection, and larger payload capacity and internal space.
The vehicle features a modular design, is powered by a 360-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine, and weighs up to 14,500 kilograms (31,967 pounds), with a crew capacity of 11.
It comes in several variants, including internal security, jammer platform, reconnaissance and surveillance, and command and control vehicles.