Turkey has delivered the first batch of four Nurol Makina Edjer 6×6 armoured fighting vehicle to the Burkina Faso Army.
A shipment of four brown-coloured armoured fighting vehicles were photographed being offloaded in an airport – likely the Thomas Sankara International Airport Ouagadougou in the center of the capital city of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso in December last year
The Nurol Makina Edjer 6×6 acquisition is part of a larger contract that includes a number of Nurol Ejder Yalçın 4×4 armoured vehicle which has since been delivered.
A number of the Nurol Ejder Yalçın 4×4 were fielded by the Army of Burkina Faso (L’Armée de Terre or LAT – Ground Forces) during the recent coup in the country.
The Ejder 6×6 TTZA (Taktik Tekerlekli Zırhlı Araç – Tactical Wheeled Armored Vehicle) has a weight of 18 tonnes, a top road speed of 110km/h, and an operational range of some 800km.
Only the first and second axles are steered. The Ejder’s hull is made of hardened steel which offers all-around protection against small arms fire and artillery fragments (add-on armour for higher ballistic protection is available but wasn’t acquired by Georgia).
The V-shaped hull protects the crew of 2 and up to 10 passengers against the blast effect of mines and IEDs. Six smoke grenade dischargers (three on each side of the hull) can be used to temporarily mask the vehicle’s location, providing an additional form of protection.
Additionally, the Ejder comes equipped with two water jets located at the rear of the vehicle to overcome any water obstacles at a speed of 9km/h.
The armament of the Ejder 6×6 consists of a remotely controlled 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun or a 40mm grenade launcher, the latter equipping the vehicles in service with Georgia. The Ejder can also be fitted with a number of other remotely controlled turret-mounted weapons with a caliber of up to 90mm.
The new Nurol Makina Edjer 6×6 armoured vehicles will be used in the fight against terrorism, as well as in the protection of Burkinabe troops on the frontline.