Kenya orders 118 armored vehicles from Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey — Kenya’s military has ordered 118 four-wheel drive personnel carriers from Turkish armored vehicles manufacturer Katmerciler.

Kenya Defence Forces spokesperson Col. Zipporah Kioko told local press that the Ministry of Defence is finalizing the deal for the mine-resistant, ambush-protected Hizir vehicles through Turkey’s Export Credit Agency.

“The Hizirs will provide the Kenyan troops protective mobility wherever they are deployed,” a Katmerciler official said.

Kenya’s military will primarily deploy the Hizir vehicles for counterterror operations against the al-Shabab militant group.

The company official declined to comment on how soon the contract would be finalized, but a Turkish procurement source said the deal should be inked in a matter of weeks, if not days. The procurement source put the price of the contract at “nearly €60 million” (U.S. $73 million).

Last month, Turkey and Tunisia signed a $150 million deal for the sale of scores of Turkish-made defense equipment, including BMC’s Kirpi MRAP vehicles and Nurol’s Ejder Yalcin four-wheel drive armored combat vehicles.

“The deal augments the penetration into the African market of Turkish armored vehicles,” the Turkish procurement official said.

Sources said Katmerciler defeated South African and North American rivals for the Kenyan contract.

The Katmerciler official said the Hizir has a proven track record in Syria, where Turkish forces operate and face similar threats as Kenyan troops face along the border with Somalia .

Tested in the Netherlands and certified by NATO, the Hizir can be used in various configurations, such as combat; command and control; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense; weapon carrier; ambulance; border security; and reconnaissance.

The vehicle is fitted with Turkish company Aselsan’s Stabilized Advanced Remote Weapon Platform, which can be installed on tactical vehicles, fixed surveillance posts, towers and critical infrastructure.

Depending on the operational requirements, remote weapon platform can be equipped with a 12.7mm machine gun, a 40mm automatic grenade launcher or a 7.62mm machine gun. The turret has advanced capabilities and options such as a fire-on-the-move capability, day and night imaging, automatic target tracking, laser range finder for accurate ballistics, last-round warning, and manual backup.

The vehicle, which can carry up to nine personnel, is also equipped with a smoke grenade launcher on the top of the vehicle. It is designed on a V-hull monocoque chassis to increase vehicle and crew survivability by deflecting an upward directed blast — such as from a landmine or improvised explosive device — away from the vehicle.

Burak Ege Bekdil was the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.

土耳其安卡拉——肯尼亚军方已向土耳其装甲车制造商卡特默西勒公司订购了 118 辆四轮驱动人员运输车。

肯尼亚国防军发言人齐波拉·基奥科上校告诉当地媒体，国防部正在通过土耳其出口信贷机构敲定购买防地雷、防伏击的希兹尔车辆的交易。

“无论肯尼亚军队部署在哪里，‘希兹尔’装甲车都能为他们提供保护性的机动性，”卡特默西勒公司的一名官员表示。

肯尼亚军方将主要部署希兹尔装甲车，用于打击青年党武装组织的反恐行动。

该公司官员拒绝透露合同何时最终敲定，但一位土耳其采购消息人士称，该协议应该会在几周内，甚至几天内签署。该采购消息人士称，合同金额“接近6000万欧元”（约合7300万美元）。

上个月，土耳其和突尼斯签署了一项价值 1.5 亿美元的协议，出售数十件土耳其制造的国防装备，其中包括 BMC 的 Kirpi MRAP 车辆和 Nurol 的 Ejder Yalcin 四轮驱动装甲战车。

“这项交易将增强土耳其装甲车在非洲市场的渗透率，”土耳其采购官员表示。

消息人士称，卡特默西勒击败了南非和北美的竞争对手，赢得了肯尼亚的合同。

卡特默西勒官员表示，希兹尔装甲车在叙利亚有着良好的战绩，土耳其军队在那里作战，面临着与肯尼亚军队在索马里边境面临的类似威胁。

Hizir 已在荷兰进行测试并获得北约认证，可用于各种配置，例如作战；指挥与控制；化学、生物、放射性和核防御；武器运输；救护车；边境安全；以及侦察。

该车辆配备了土耳其阿塞尔桑公司生产的稳定式先进遥控武器平台，该平台可安装在战术车辆、固定监视哨所、塔楼和关键基础设施上。

根据作战需求，遥控武器平台可配备12.7毫米机枪、40毫米自动榴弹发射器或7.62毫米机枪。炮塔具备先进的功能和选装件，例如行进间射击能力、昼夜成像、自动目标跟踪、用于精确弹道计算的激光测距仪、最后一发子弹警告以及手动备份。

该车辆最多可搭载九名人员，车顶还配备了烟雾弹发射器。它采用V型单体底盘设计，能够将向上爆炸的冲击波（例如地雷或简易爆炸装置）偏转，从而提高车辆和乘员的生存能力。

布拉克·埃格·贝克迪尔是《防务新闻》的土耳其记者。