Turkish Army Kirpi MRAP on duty somewhere in southern Turkey.
On August 9, the first columns of Turkish-made Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles Kirpi was spotted in Ukraine with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the Zelensky’s party Servant of the People Yuri Misyagin, 50 armored vehicles are already on the front lines. 150 more vehicles will be reportedly delivered from Turkey in the near future.
The Turkish Army employs these vehicles for operations in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo and Idlib.
BMC Kirpis are mostly used by Turkish troops in the joint Turkish-Russian patrol missions in Syria and other operations. During the past years, Turkey supplied its ‘moderate proxies’ in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo and Idlib with various weapons and equipments in mass, including with Kirpis.
The Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle Kirpi is designed and manufactured by BMC for the needs of the Turkish Ground Forces. It features an armoured hull which provides protection against armor-piercing rounds and artillery shell splinters. The V-shape bottom portion provides protection against grenades and land mines.
The Kirpi features shock absorber seats and interior accessories, a GPS system, rear view camera, and an automatic fire suppression system. The vehicle has five firing ports and four bulletproof windows on each side of the troop compartment as well as a shielded position for the gunner on the rooftop. Depending on the modification, the Kirpi can be armed with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun or remotely-controlled weapons stations. Passengers enter and leave the troop compartment through a hydraulically operated ramp at the rear of the hull.
Kirpi specifications:
- Mass: around 16,000kg
- Length: 6.0-7.075m (depending on the version)
- Width: 2.51m
- Height: 86m
- Crew: 3 + 10-12
- Maximum speed: 100km/h
- Operational range: 800km
