Armored Cars: Nurol Makina NMS

The NMS equipped with a remote weapon station. Via Nurol Makina.

Having decades of manufacturing expertise under its belt, Nurol Makina used the recent IDEF 2017 to debut its latest attempt at cornering the tactical vehicles market. It’s a surprise move that reinforces Turkey’s reputation as a clearing house for armored vehicles of whatever variety.

The brand new NMS was unveiled with much fanfare to the press in a commodious exhibit crowded with other armored trucks. But the NMS is different–because it’s meant to fulfill the role once occupied by Humvees and Land Rovers.

Having just been revealed to the public, the NMS is–to use a term reserved for the luxury car market–a bespoke vehicle whose appearance and performance can be tweaked, whether via a modified cab or a customer specific power train. But everything that’s known about it at present comes from the marketing literature presented by Nurol Makina.

Via Nurol Makina.

The NMS is a 4×4 multirole transport combining a monocoque hull with a locally assembled chassis. Whether or not it uses an imported engine is a matter of speculation. Its profile on the manufacturer’s website only mentions “300 horsepower” without specifying if it’s a Cummins model or not. The NMS has a top speed of 140 kilometers per hour and a 700 km range. With a gross weight of just 10 tons, the NMS can wade across bodies of water three feet deep and is air transportable by Chinook or C-130.

The armor level of the NMS is another unmentionable. But going by similar vehicles, it offers STANAG I with reinforced ballistic glass panels for its windshield and windows. Nurol Makina insists further armor plating can be added at the customer’s request since the vehicle is completely modular. Additional protective features include smoke grenade launchers plus detection and jamming equipment inside the cab. The interior is spacious enough to fit the driver and co-driver along with seven passengers.

According to Nurol Makina, the NMS can perform three roles. This includes an armed scout vehicle, a pickup, and a short-range air defense system mounting tandem SAM launchers. With remote technology having gone mainstream, the NMS is able to support light and crew-served weapons on its single roof hatch.

The NMS shortly after it was revealed for the first time at the IDEF 2017 arms show.

Nurol Makina hasn’t announced any orders for the NMS so it’s likely the vehicle will make the rounds in upcoming arms shows until customers materialize. Having arrived late in the tactical 4×4 game, however, means the competition is stacked against it. But months after its first public appearance the tiny Gulf state of Qatar paraded a convoy of NMS trucks during its National Day rites.

The Otokar Cobra II, the URO Vamtac, and the Renault Sherpa are strong contenders in the same niche as the NMS; fast modular vehicles that protect soldiers and even accompany them in dismounted combat. As with so many other armored cars, only time will tell how big a splash the NMS makes.