DVD 2024 – Nurol Makina UK expands horizon with three new UK products and factory
Nurol Makina UK (NMS UK) has made a strong stand at the Defence Vehicle Dynamics (DVD) 2024 event that started on the 18th September in the UK with the debut of three new vehicles built for the British Army’s requirements, and the recent procurement of a manufacturing facility in Leamington Spa.
The first vehicle is called Dragon, a medium weight 4×4 protected mobility platform that builds on the successful legacy of the company’s Ejder Yalçin, which has seen extensive service with the Turkish armed forces. Dragon has been configured to meet the UK’s requirements under the Medium Protected Mobility Vehicle (MPV) programme, which is intended to replace the current fleet of Ridgback, Mastiff, and Wolfhound MRAP class vehicles that entered service during the country’s deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The MPV is also expected to replace the FV432 Bulldog tracked armoured personnel carrier, and the Stormer short range air defence system. Procurement is expected to include 1,600 vehicles. At DVD, the company also presented a battlefield ambulance variant of the Dragon, with a medical bay in the rear that was designed by NP Aerospace.
The Dragon was accompanied by a brand new design, the NMS Light, which is another protected 4×4 with a total weight of 10 tonnes. The vehicle is aimed at the UK’s Light Protected Mobility (LPM) platform requirement, and is a fresh development from the company. Despite its relative novelty, “an order has already been secured for the new platform, which leverages commercial components like a Cummins engine” Emre Akin, the head of strategic planning at Nurol Makina told EDR On-Line as we made our way around the test course in the NMS Light.
The NMS Light can seat five with radio racks between the driver and front passenger. It is able to carry a remote weapon station with a large calibre machine gun on the roof and there are firing ports in the vehicle doors. It is designed to be familiar to a driver without training and the driving controls reflect those of a standard off-road vehicle. “With a little training you can become an expert,” Akin said. The vehicle is provided with steel armour providing blast and ballistic protection, and there are automatic fire extinguishers and detectors inside the vehicle. A load tray at the rear of the platform completes the layout. The suspension is independent, which was evident during the drive around the Millbrook testing ground, and it is capable of a top speed of 150 km/h on a paved road, with an operational range of 700 km at 70 km/h.
The company is taking its business venture in the UK seriously, and has recently procured a factory facility in Leamington Spa that will be outfitted to allow the production of several hundred vehicles per year, Daviz Zevulun, Managing Director of NMS UK told EDR On-Line. The factory will employ more than 100 people at the initial operational phase and serve to localise production of the platform.
Localisation is key for the UK’s land procurements and in line with this, NMS UK has developed a phased approach to increase the UK-based content of its vehicles to more than 50%. “We are cooperating with NP Aerospace for engineering as well as integration design expertise and advice for the mission equipment, but we will have the vehicles manufactured here before long,” Zevulun explained. Zevulun also explained that NMS UK employs an agile engineering management approach, which he is confident will enable them to meet commonality requirements of the LPM.
Nurol Makina UK vehicles have a strong service history with the Turkish armed forces where the Ejder Yalçin’s survivability has proven valuable in various types of operations including urban combat. It has become a popular choice for UN peacekeepers, including Malaysian forces operating in Lebanon, and UNIFIL forces that were deployed to the Sahel region including Mali. The design has also found export success with vehicle fleets in 11 countries including Hungary, and sales of the company’s lighter vehicle, the NMS 4×4 to Estonia. “We would like to export the vehicle from the UK and build the country’s defence industrial base yet further,” Akin said.
Procurement timelines have become a hot topic in the UK as the country’s governments have changed and the new Labour administration has initiated a Strategic Defence Review, which will put a hold on procurement decisions until it is complete. As such, the current status and likely contract announcement for the MPV and LPV programmes is unclear.
Photos by S. Cranny-Evans
