Automotiv Exports July 2022

Turkey’s
Katmerciler
exports armored
land vehicles to
Gambia
Turkish land vehicles manufacturer
Katmerciler, which already has strong
business relations in Africa, is exporting
its 4x4 Tactical Wheeled Armored Combat
Vehicle Hızır to Gambia, according to a
Turkish defense site.
DefenseTurk said in a report based on
open-source information and images, that
the company, which previously exported to
Kenya, Uganda and an undisclosed country,
is now selling its Hızır vehicles to Gambia.
Last year in August, it was reported
that Gambia signed an agreement with
Katmerciler for the purchase of the vehicle
in question, but there has yet been no
official announcement on the issue.
The DefenseTurk report said recent images
also circulating on social media reveal
that camouflaged Hızır vehicles are being
delivered to the African country.
Furkan Katmerci, deputy chairperson of the
Executive Board of Katmerciler, previously
said that the company’s “export move
toward friendly countries from different
parts of the world, particularly Africa,
continues.”
In March 2021, the Gambian delegation
headed by Gambian Defense Minister Seikh
Omar Faye visited Turkey where he was
welcomed by Turkey’s National Defense
Minister Hulusi Akar.
During the meetings views were exchanged
on bilateral and regional security, defense
matters and cooperation opportunities in
the defense industry.
An updated Military Cooperation and
Training Agreement between the two
countries was also signed by Akar and Faye
following the talks.
The fully indigenous Hızır is a
400-horsepower vehicle, which provides
high protection against mines and
handmade explosives. It was produced
for conflict conditions with high
maneuverability and ballistic fortification.
It was designed to perform well under
conditions of intense conflict in rural
and urban areas, providing high-level
protection. Having been developed to meet
NATO standards and successfully passing
all performance and explosion tests, the
vehicle was approved by an independent
international testing organization.
Katmerciler in July 2021 signed a contract
with the Kenyan Defense Ministry to
provide the African country with armored
vehicle products including the Hızır.
The contract, worth $91.4 million, was
dubbed the company’s largest single export
deal.
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