Is Morocco the new Customer for Turkish Armored Vehicles?

A recently released video by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (RMAF) revealed personnel operating an Aselsan remote weapon station from inside a mystery armoured vehicle.

The video was published on the 65^th anniversary of the RMAF on May 14. An industry source “confirmed” to Janes that the footage showed the interior of an Ejder Yalçin, manufactured by Turkey’s Nurol Makina. Nurol Makina told the outlet it could not comment on whether Morocco has ordered the 4×4 protected mobility vehicle and Aselsan has not identified the kingdom as one of its customers as yet.

Turkey is said to have exported 20 unidentified armoured personnel carriers to another African country, Chad, in 2018. These are also speculated to be the Ejder Yalçin vehicles.

Ejder (“Dragon”) family of armoured vehicles consist of two version which is 4x4 and 6x6. Both versions can be configured to be used in a variety of roles including that of a personnel carrier, reconnaissance, Fire support, ATGM carrier, Infantry Fighting Vehicle, mortar, command, recovery, medical evacuation, etc.

Baseline 6×6 version is fitted with a remotely controlled 7.62 mm caliber machine gun and 40mm automatic grenade launcher. It supports integration of various weapon systems and armed turrets weighted up to 5 tons. The vehicle has a V-shaped hull for improved protection against landmines and IEDs. It can withstand the blast from an 8 kg mine. Protection can be enhanced with modular add-on armor.

The 4×4 variant eatures a V-shaped hull design, integrating floating floor plates and blast mitigation seating to provide protection against mines and IED's. It can accommodate up to 11 personnel and can carry a payload of up to 4 tons.

The vehicle is equipped with optionally integrated, remote-controlled and manually-operated weapon stations. It is fitted with two gun ports on the roof. The optional armament mounted on the vehicle includes 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns, a 25mm anti-aircraft gun and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher.