The United Arab Emirates military announced during the IDEX 2017 defence show in Abu Dhabi that it had ordered 400 Rabdan 8×8 armored wheeled vehicles fitted with Russian BMP-3 combat turret.
The contract will be overtaken by the Al Jasoor Heavy Vehicles Industries, a joint company established by Otokar and Tawazun. That was reported by www.armyrecognition.com.
The Rabdan is a wheeled vehicle developed by Al Jasoor, a joint venture company between Tawazun and Otokar UAE, which is a subsidiary of Otokar. The infantry fighting vehicle is to be built in manufacturing facilities at the Tawazun Industrial Park in Abu Dhabi.
The Rabdan is a modified Emirati version of a Turkish Otokar Arma 8×8 fitted with the turret with 100mm 2A70 gun and two coaxial weapons, namely, 30mm 2A72 automatic cannon and 7,62mm PKT/PKTM machingun from Russian produced BMP-3 amphibious infantry fighting vehicles. The UAE is the largest international operator of BMP-3 vehicles. Between 1992 and 2000 about 600 BMP-3 were delivered.
The installation of the BMP-3 combat module on the optional Rabdan vehicles would increase the level of the UAE`s infantry armoured vehicles fleet unification and replaces of ageing BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles.
