Otokar, Turkey’s leading land systems exporter, has made a strategic investment within the framework of the record export project signed with the Romanian Ministry of National Defense. Following the process initiated in January, the contract signatures for the acquisition of shares representing 96.77 percent of the capital of Automecanica SA for approximately 85 million Euros were signed on April 29, 2026. The purchasing process is aimed to be completed following obtaining the necessary local legal permits.
With this step, Otokar will establish the military production infrastructure within the European Union. PRODUCTION PREPARATIONS ARE COMPLETE, THE FIRST PHASE OF PRODUCTION HAS STARTED Otokar won the tender opened by the Romanian Ministry of National Defense and within this scope, the deliveries of the first COBRA II vehicles produced in Turkey were completed, and more than 270 vehicles started operating in Romania in the past months.
The project continued simultaneously throughout the purchasing negotiations. In this context, on-the-job training programs for workers and technical personnel in Mediaş, Romania, were completed. All production stages of COBRA II vehicles, from welding to cutting, from painting to assembly, can be carried out in the factory established on an area of 140 thousand square meters in the city of Mediaş. The facility, whose production preparations were completed, was provided with a modern infrastructure in accordance with NATO standards.
The first stages of production started at the factory; The assembly line is planned to be operational as of June. “WE ARE A RELIABLE BUSINESS PARTNER FOR FRIENDLY AND ALLIED COUNTRIES” Evaluating the company’s new period in the European defense industry market, Otokar General Manager Aykut Özüner said: “With this strategic step we have taken in line with our global growth targets, we are becoming a company that produces armored vehicles within the borders of the European Union.
Our investment in Romania has a meaning far beyond fulfilling our obligations under the contract. In the defense industry, countries are increasingly gaining domestic production capabilities and technology.” We see that it prioritizes winning. As Otokar, we embrace being not only a supplier for friendly and allied countries, but also a reliable business partner that develops their engineering capacities through local collaborations and technology transfer.
We believe that Otokar, in addition to serving the Romanian Armed Forces, will add value to the economies of both countries for many years to come.” TURKEY’S BIGGEST ARMOR VEHICLE EXPORT IN A SINGLE ITEM As a result of the tender for 1,059 units of 4×4 tactical wheeled light armored vehicles opened by the Romanian Ministry of Defense, a contract worth approximately 4.26 billion RON (approximately 857 million Euros) excluding VAT was signed on 27 November 2024.
This project, which is Turkey’s largest single-item armored vehicle export contract, is also considered one of the few military vehicle purchases in Europe. Otokar, which is an approved supplier of NATO and the United Nations in the field of defense industry; It serves successfully in different climatic conditions and risky regions all over the world. More than 33 thousand military vehicles produced by the company are currently on active duty in the inventory of more than 80 end users in nearly 50 countries, 9 of which are European countries.
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