HIZIR Armoured Combat Vehicle

HIZIR is a 4×4 tactical wheeled armoured vehicle designed and developed by Katmerciler, a Turkish armoured vehicle manufacturer.

The company developed the vehicle at its R&D centre in accordance with the operational needs of security forces. HIZIR comes with a powerful engine which enables the vehicle to deliver the highest power output in its class in the Turkish defence industry.

The combat vehicle is designed and optimised to provide high performance in extreme operational conditions at both rural and urban areas. It complies with the NATO standards and high ballistic and mine protection levels.

The platform can be customised for various configurations such as combat vehicle, command control vehicle, CBRN vehicle, weapons carrier, ambulance vehicle, border security vehicle, and reconnaissance vehicle.

An undisclosed African country placed an order for HIZIR armoured vehicles in 2019 and the first vehicle was exported in July 2020.

HIZIR armoured vehicle development details

The president of Turkey launched the tactical wheeled armoured combat vehicle at the 3rd High-Tech Port by MUSIAD fair in November 2016.

In May 2017, Aselsan and Katmerciler collaborated for the development of HIZIR hybrid concept which was introduced at the International Defense Industry Fair IDEF’17. HIZIR is the first hybrid armoured vehicle in the Turkish defence industry. The concept is primarily intended to reduce foreign dependency.

The armoured vehicle received the highest rating in the blasting tests which were carried out by an independent organisation in January 2018.

Katmerciler presented HIZIR along with its portfolio of other five armoured vehicles at the Eurosatory International Defense and Security Exhibition held at Paris in June 2018.

HIZIR armoured vehicle design and features

The HIZIR armoured vehicle has an overall length of 5.57m, width of 2.49m, wheelbase of 3.08m and height of 2.61m. The gross weight of the vehicle is 16,000kg.

The combat platform has the capacity to carry up to nine personnel with the driver and commander at the front and seven troops at the rear. Either side of the hull has two doors while the troops can also enter and exit through a rear door.

The HIZIR tactical vehicle can be fitted with a range of accessories such as recovery winch, gun turret, spare wheel, CBRN air filtration system, automatic fire suppression system, intercom system, and GPS navigation.

Armament

The vehicle can be armed with a 12.7mm machine gun, and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher or a 7.62mm machine gun based on operational requirements.
The turret features advanced capabilities including fire-on-the-move capability, day and night imaging, automatic target tracking, laser range finder for accurate ballistics, last round warning and manual back-up.

Engine and mobility of HIZIR

The HIZIR armoured vehicle is powered by a Cummins ISL 8.9l turbocharged six-cylinder intercooled diesel engine which generates a power output of 298kW at 2,100rpm.

The engine is coupled to Allison 3000 series automatic transmission with six forward and one reverse gears. The power-plant develops a maximum torque of 1,550Nm at 1,100-1,400rpm. The vehicle is also installed with 24V batteries.

The vehicle is also fitted with power steering, fully independent suspension system, run-flat inserts and central tire inflation system. It offers superior performance with high climbing ability, submarine distance, depth of penetration, approach and departure angles, and high manoeuvrability.

The combat vehicle can attain at a top speed of 130km/h. The maximum cruise range of the vehicle is 700km. It can address side slopes of 30%, climb grades of 70% and cross water streams of 100cm deep. The ground clearance of the vehicle at both front and rear axles is 410mm.