First Turkish-made Cobra II armored vehicles arrive in Romania
The first Turkish-built Cobra II armored vehicles have arrived in Romania, Otokar Savunma Sanayi announced Tuesday.
According to the company, the vehicles—manufactured in Sakarya, Turkey—were delivered to Mediaș, Romania, where local integration work will be carried out.
The milestone follows an agreement signed in April between the two firms to produce more than 1,000 Cobra II 4×4 vehicles, supported by joint engineering, marketing, and post-delivery services.
The partnership is structured as a 50-50 joint venture, signaling a long-term industrial and strategic collaboration between Ankara and Bucharest. Otokar, a subsidiary of Turkey’s Koc Group, framed the deal as part of its broader push to increase its footprint in the European defense market.
The agreement reflects the growing defense and energy ties between the two countries, shaped in part by the shifting security environment following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Otokar said the delivery of the first batch of Cobra II vehicles is an early indicator of the project’s momentum. The company’s leadership views the venture as an opportunity to expand Turkey’s defense industry presence in Europe at a time when regional demand for armored vehicles and tactical mobility platforms continues to grow.
Turkish defense firms have seen rising demand across Europe and Central Asia in recent years. After a record export year in 2024, companies like Otokar are aiming to build long-term positions in the European market—particularly in the Balkans, where NATO’s eastern flank intersects with growing regional security concerns.
The Cobra II, manufactured by Otokar and widely used by Turkish security forces, is designed for a range of roles, including border security, convoy protection, and counterinsurgency operations. While no technical details were released in this announcement, the platform is known for its mobility, modularity, and protection features.
Romania’s interest in the platform aligns with its broader efforts to modernize ground forces and reduce reliance on aging Soviet-era systems. The arrival of the Cobra II also fits into a larger pattern of Romanian defense procurement aimed at increasing interoperability with NATO forces and strengthening national resilience in the Black Sea region.
The Cobra II program now enters a new phase as production continues and Romanian teams begin integration work on the delivered vehicles. Otokar and Automecanica are expected to continue deliveries in phases, with full-scale production expanding under the terms of the five-year agreement.