MAV Zaha FNSS

Marine Assault Vehicle Amphibious tracked armored vehicle - Turkey

The MAV - Marine Assault Vehicle is developed by the Turkish Company FNSS to meet the amphibious armored vehicle requirement of the Turkish Navy. During the beach landing phase of an amphibious operation, these vehicles are launched from landing helicopter docks (LHD) and are able to rapidly cover the distance between the vessel and shore, allowing marine units to land under armor protection with minimum delay. Once on land, they are able to operate alongside other armored vehicles. The MAV owes its firepower to its 12.7 mm MG & 40 mm AGL remote-controlled turret. Designed to support dual operations based on their mission requirements, armored amphibious assault vehicles need to ensure superior capabilities both at sea and on land. Unique hull design and powerful waterjets make the MAV highly mobile in water with a speed of 7 knots, as well as on land, at 70 km/h maximum speed.

The base vehicle can be configured in different variants such as Personnel Carrier and Command-Post. Few navies worldwide possess such a capability.

Through the MAV, FNSS carries the armor protected amphibious fighting vehicle concept into the 21st century. Compared to similar systems, MAV can be considered superior in the following respects:

• Number of personnel transported by the vehicle,
• Level of ballistic and mine protection, and
• Its performance on land and in water.

MAV Zaha variants:

- APC Armored Personnel Carrier
- Command and Control Vehicle
- Recovery vehicle

Armament

The APC (Armored personnel Carrier) version of the MAV Zaha is fitted with the CAKA remotely operated weapon station mounted on the top of the hull which can be armed with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. The turret features a thermal sighting system to conduct firing operations day and night. Two banks of four smoke grenade dischargers are mounted on the roof of the hull at the back of the turret.

The MAV Zaha is fitted with a CAKA remotely operated weapon station armed with one 12.7mm heavy machine gun

Design and protection

The design of the MAV Zaha is based on a tracked chassis and a water-resistant hull with the driver position located at the front left side of the hull and a commander's hatch just behind. The vehicle has a crew of three and can carry up to 21 infantrymen. The rear of the hull is fitted with a hydraulic ramp allowing infantrymen to quickly enter or leave the vehicle. In case of failure, a manual door is integrated into the hydraulic ramp. It is based on an aluminum hull that provides protection against the firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. The armor of the hull is also improved using appliqué armor plates and cathodic protection. The protection of the vehicle has been optimized to offer a high level of protection against land mines and IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) threats.

Mobility

The MAV Zaha is powered by a Diesel engine mounted at the front of the hull, coupled to a fully automatic transmission. During amphibious operations, the vehicle is propelled in the water at a maximum speed of 13 km/h (7 knots) thanks to two water jets mounted at the rear of the hull. The vehicle can reach a top road speed of 70 km/h. The torsion bar suspension on each side consists of six road wheels, three track return rollers, one idler at the rear, and the drive sprocket at the rear. The vehicle can negotiate a gradient of 60% and a side slope of 40% and can cross obstacles of 900 mm and trenches of 2 m.

The MAV Zaha is fully amphibious and propelled in the water thanks to two water jets mounted at the rear of the hull.

Accessories

Standard equipment of the MAV Zaha includes an air conditioning system, explosion detection and suppression system, countermeasure systems, internal protection against nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) threats, navigation system, battlefield management system, VHF/UHF radios, crew intercommunication system, and a hydraulic trim vane.