BMC’s VURAN armoured vehicles, integrated with ASELSAN’s ALKAR 120mm Automatic Mortar Weapon System, were added to the Gendarmerie General Command inventory. Vehicles equipped with automatic mortar systems provide fire support to counter-terrorism operations.
The base model of the VURAN 4X4 armoured vehicle developed by BMC has a carrying capacity of nine personnel. The mortar-carrier model differs from the others with its exterior appearance. While other cars have two doors on both sides, the truck bed of this vehicle is reserved for the mortar. It, therefore, has one door on each side. Unlike the others, the roof opens to the sides of this vehicle as two wings and the mortar emerges. There is also no turret and RCWS on top of this vehicle.
In 2017, the Turkish business ASELSAN introduced its 120 mm mortar system known as the AHS-120 ALKAR. This system was designed to be mounted on a wheeled or tracked self-propelled chassis.
The mortar modernization project was initiated with the purpose of boosting the hit rates of mortar rounds in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces as well as the overall efficacy of these projectiles (TAF).
ASELSAN designed the ALKAR 120 mm Mortar Weapon System with its sub-systems. It is a modern weapon system with Automatic Barrel Laying, Automatic Ammunition Loading System (120 mm), Recoil Mechanism and Fire Control Systems.
This is a 120-mm rifled muzzle-loading mortar equipped with anti-recoil devices, an automatic loading system, a digital control system, and automated electric and hydraulic drives of azimuth guidance mechanisms and range.
Because of its modular design, it may be included in a wide variety of mobile and stationary military platforms in accordance with the requirements of the customer. The mortar is loaded into the barrel automatically. With the advanced fast and sensitive electro-mechanical turret system, the barrel can rotate 360 degrees and shoot at high barrel angles. A graphical user interface that displays battlefield information and allows target selection on a digital map.
