Cobra

The Cobra is an infantry mobility vehicle with MRAP capabilities developed by Turkish manufacturer Otokar. Entering service in 1997, the vehicle incorporates subsystems from the Humvee and serves as the baseline model for the Cobra family, which was later developed into the Cobra II.

The vehicle utilizes a monocoque steel V-hull designed to protect the crew from small arms fire, artillery shrapnel, anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The front wheel arches are engineered to detach during a blast to free blast pockets and vent explosion energy. Optional survivability equipment includes Q-Nets, and the platform can be configured for amphibious operations. The chassis serves as a common platform for multiple role variants, including armored personnel carriers, command posts, armored ambulances, reconnaissance vehicles, ground surveillance radar platforms, and forward observation posts. Armament options include 12.7mm machine gun turrets, 20mm cannons, TOW or Spike anti-tank guided missiles, and surface-to-air missiles.

The Cobra is operated by numerous nations and the United Nations. The Turkish Armed Forces employ the vehicle for internal counter-terrorism operations, in NATO's ISAF and Resolute Support missions in Afghanistan, and during Operation Euphrates Shield against ISIS and YPG forces. In December 2016, a Cobra crew survived a direct hit from an RPG-7 rocket during an attack on Turkish armor. An August 2015 IED attack resulting in eight Turkish military fatalities prompted armor upgrades and the subsequent procurement of the Cobra II.

During the 2008 South Ossetia war, Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs special forces used Cobras armed with 12.7mm NSV machine guns and 40mm automatic grenade launchers during the Battle of Tskhinvali, where Russian forces destroyed and captured one vehicle. Georgian and Rwandan military contingents have deployed the vehicle for UN peacekeeping operations in the Central African Republic. The Nigerian military introduced the vehicle into combat against Boko Haram in 2013. In Burkina Faso, a Burkinabe army Cobra was destroyed by an insurgent IED in Kompienbiga. The vehicle is also deployed by Turkmenistan's State Border Service.