Turkish FNSS unveils unmanned amphibious assault vehicle

BEIRUT — Turkish vehicle manufacturer FNSS unveiled a new unmanned multi-purpose amphibious vehicle (U-MAV) at the Turkish defense conference Teknofest this week.

The four-wheeled İ-ZAHA is “designed to take the crew out of the first wave which is the highest-risk phase of any amphibious assault and to operate as part of a manned-unmanned team (MUM-T) with the Marine Assault Vehicles (MAV) already in service with the Turkish Naval Forces Command,” FNSS said in a statement.

The eight-ton vehicle has the capability of transiting from sea to shore and a naval speed of 7 knots and land speed of 70 kmh (42.5 mph). The company said the i-ZAHA is equipped with a machine gun for fire support, mine clearance equipment, electronic warfare platforms and counter drone systems. The vehicle also integrates GNSS/INS navigation system, and IFF identification module and has artificial intelligence image processing capabilities.

“One of U-MAV’s most significant features is the interchangeability of mission payload modules on a common base platform, tailored to different operational profiles. The module swap can be completed in approximately 40 minutes in the field,” the company statement said.

FNSS is a private-owned Turkish defense firm that is fully owned by Nurol Holding.

“FNSS continues to grow its work and its R&D investment in unmanned and autonomous vehicle technologies. U-MAV brings together our engineering capability, the field success of the Marine Assault Vehicle (MAV) and our continuing R&D effort in a new-generation, heavy-class unmanned amphibious vehicle,” said FNSS CEO Selim Baybaş in a statement.