Turkish Navy recieves first floating armored personnel carriers ZAHA PHOTO

Turkish general contractor FNSS under the leadership of the Defence Ministry developed 9 ZAHA vehicles as part of the Armored Assault Vehicle (ZAHA) projects.

In total, 27 vehicles will be delivered as part of the project, including 23 armoured personnel carriers, 2 control vehicles and 2 rescue vehicles developed by FNSS to meet the needs of the Turkish Navy for armoured amphibious vehicles, Caliber.Az reports, citing Defense on Twitter.

The ÇAKA dual remote-controlled weapon system developed by FNSS will be an important factor in increasing the power of the amphibious troops in amphibious operations, as it provides the firepower of ZAHA armoured personnel with a 40 mm grenade launcher and a 12.7 mm machine gun.

ZAHA, which is the first armoured personnel carrier designed for both sea and land in service with the Armed Forces, as well as the second vehicle in the world capable of correcting itself in the event of a rollover and operating in harsh sea conditions, represents an important point in terms of displaying the design capabilities of Turkish ground vehicles.

During the landing phase on the beach, these vehicles are launched from the ship's landing docks and are able to quickly overcome the distance between the ship and the shore, allowing the Marines to land under the protection of armour and with minimal delay.

Once on the ground, they can contribute along with other armoured vehicles. The unique hull design and powerful water jets make ZAHA very mobile both in water (at a speed of 7 knots) and on land (with a maximum speed of 70 km/h).

The base vehicle can be configured in various ways, such as an armoured personnel carrier and a command post. Few navies around the world have this capability.

With the help of ZAHA, the FNSS brings the concept of an armoured amphibious fighting vehicle into the 21st century. Compared to similar systems, ZAHA can be considered superior in the following respects:

• the number of troops carried by the vehicle,
• level of ballistic and mine protection
• efficiency on land and on water