Turkey to export military vehicle remote-control system.

Best Grup, a Turkish defense company based in Ankara, is set to export its military vehicle’s remote-control systems to the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates in the near future, an executive of the company has stated.

The Tosun and the Pusat. The Tosun's remote-controlled system is to be exported to the US and the UAE

(Picture source: Best Grup)

On 27 February, the company’s deputy General Manager Özgür Derebaşı told state-run Anadolu Agency that the company’s armored wheeled loader Tosun, currently being used by the Turkish army in the ongoing cross-border operation into Syria’s Afrin enclave, was highly effective on the ground. 43 units of the Tosun are currently demonstrating their ability to shatter and remove concrete roadblocks in the "Oliver Branch" operation. The armored vehicles Tosun and Pusat are able to continue operating even after being shot by rockets.

“After the U.S. and Israel, we are the third country that uses remote-controlled military vehicles in operations,” Özgür Derebaşı said. “We will start exporting its remote-control system to the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates in the next three months,” Derebasi said, adding that Tosun – the production of which is six times less costly than its foreign peers - had been on the ground for three years.

100% locally-produced, the Tosun is an unmanned armored land vehicle with a ballistic protection characteristic and has a remote-control feature so it can be used without an operator. Equipped with a digger, Tosun’s ballistically protected parts are the operator cabin, the engine section, the fuel tank and the tires.

Operating in security and defense industry fields, Best Grup produces remote controlled armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers, armor for SUVs and vans, armored construction vehicles, armed operation robots and unmanned land and aerial vehicles as well as their remote-control systems.

Also locally-made, the Pusat is a light tactical and four-wheeled armored vehicle used in anti-terror operations and can be fitted with different weapons systems. Developed by Tumosan, a diesel engine and tractor manufacturer, the Pusat was unveiled at the 13th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) held between May 9-12, 2017 in Istanbul.