The Moroccan military appears to have ordered the Ejder Yalçin armoured vehicle made by the Turkish company Nurol Makina and Chad is now a confirmed user of the type, recently released imagery has shown.
Ejder Yalçins on patrol with UN peacekeepers in Mali. (UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali)
A video released to mark the 65th anniversary of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (RMAF) on 14 May included a brief section showing RMAF personnel operating an Aselsan remote weapon station from inside an armoured vehicle that was not otherwise shown. An industry source confirmed to Janes that the footage showed the interior of an Ejder Yalçin.
Nurol Makina told Janes 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.
Meanwhile, amateur video footage and photographs recently released via social media have shown Chadian soldiers operating Ejder Yalçins.
Turkey told the UN Register of Conventional Arms that it exported 20 unidentified armoured personnel carriers to Chad in 2018.
It is likely that Chadians were operating the Ejder Yalçins that have been seen in photographs released by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) showing the type in service with one of its contingents since at least September 2020. Chad has contributed 1,400 troops to MINUSMA.
The chairman of Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries said in December 2020 that Tunisia had placed USD150 million worth of orders with Turkish companies that included ones for Ejder Yalçıns, TAI Anka unmanned aerial vehicles, and BMC Kirpi armoured vehicles.
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