Turkish defense company FNSS and the Indonesian state-owned defense company PT Pindad will cooperate to produce armored amphibious assault vehicles. A new Armoured Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) could potentially be the answer for a replacement for Indonesia marine’s aging amphibious assault vehicles. The cooperation agreement was signed in Indonesia on April 20th, where Indonesian President Joko Widodo, accompanied by the Minister of Defence, Prabowo Subianto, attended the signing ceremony. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint production of Armoured Amphibious Assault Vehicle products was signed by the President Director of PT Pindad, Abraham Mose, with the Country Manager, Tolga Sipahi General representing the Manager & CEO of FNSS Turkey.
FNSS and PT Pindad have already demonstrated their capacity to cooperate. Two companies have signed an agreement to support the serial production of the Kaplan MT Modern Medium Weight Tank (MMWT). The governments of Indonesia and Turkey first agreed in May 2015 to jointly develop the MMWT for the Indonesian Army at a reported cost of 30 million US dollars. The MMWT is equipped with a Cockerill CT-CV 105HP (High Pressure) 105 mm rifled gun manufactured by Cockerill, with the barrel mounting a bore evacuator and thermal jacket. The intellectual property of the design was agreed upon to be shared between the two governments. FNSS has gained the capacity to produce Armoured Amphibious Assault Vehicle for the Turkish Armed Forces.
The Marine Assault Vehicle (MAV), ZAHA at the Turkish Navy Program, the latest technology amphibious vehicle designed by FNSS to meet the amphibious operational requirements. During the beach landing phase of an amphibious operation, these vehicles are launched from landing helicopter docks (LHD) and can rapidly cover the distance between the vessel and shore, allowing marine units to land under armor protection. Once on land, they can operate alongside other armored vehicles. The base platform of the amphibious vehicle can be used for the development of multiple variants including an armored personnel carrier (APC), a command post vehicle, a mine clearance vehicle, and a recovery vehicle.
The Zaha is equipped with a diesel engine to power pack mounted on the forward hull. If required the ZAHA can move on the water by spinning its tracks, though at a significantly reduced speed. This amphibious APC is powered by a diesel engine, developing around 500 hp. The engine compartment is located at the front. The engine is mated to an automatic transmission. Propulsion on the water is provided by 2 waterjets located at the rear. The maximum speed on water is 13 km/h. The engine drives a fully-automatic transmission system. In amphibious mode, the vehicle is propelled by two rear-mounted water jets. A unique hull design and powerful water jets make the MAV highly mobile in the water with a speed of 7 knots, as well as on land, at 70 km/h maximum speed.
