The Hungarian Army announced on 21 December that it has taken delivery of an initial batch of Gidran 4×4 armoured vehicles from Turkey.
The recently received vehicles are part of 40 Gidrans ordered by the Hungarian Defence Force this year.
The Gidran is an advanced version of Ejder Yalcın (Dragon) armoured vehicle produced by Turkish company Nurol Makina. The new version of the vehicle equipped with Aselsan’s SARP (Stabilized Advanced Remote Weapon Platform) remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS) that can be armed with 7.62 or 12.7mm machine gun and 40mm automatic grenade launcher.
Ejder Yalcin is a modular platform that has high protection and mobility, is developed to meet the operational requirements of military units and security forces in every region including rural and urban areas. It features 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.
By its unique design and high payload capacity, different payloads can be integrated; therefore Ejder Yalcin 4×4 can be customized for various mission. With its powerful diesel engine, high torque capability and fully independent suspension system, the vehicle offers superior off-road performance.
Ejder Yalcin has proven itself in the operational areas and it offers special solutions to the different operational requirements of users with customizations such as; Border Surveillance and Security Vehicle, Air Defence Vehicle, Reconnaissance Vehicle, Command and Control Vehicle, Mine/IED Detection-Clearence Vehicle, Combat Vehicle, Personnel Carrier, CBRN Surveillance Vehicle, Tactical Missile Carriage/Launch System and Armored Ambulance.
Nurol Makina won its first export contract from Tunisia for its Ejder Yalcın Block III 4×4 vehicles in early 2017. It was followed by orders from Uzbekistan, Qatar, Senegal and South Sudan.