TSAMTO, August 18. On August 15, the Turkish authorities handed over to the Armed Forces of Somalia the second batch of armored vehicles "Bricks" manufactured by the Turkish company BMC, which have increased protection from mines.
According to the Turkish Embassy in Somalia, the equipment was delivered by sea to the port of Mogadishu, where the ceremony of its transfer took place: 8 armored vehicles "Bricks" were handed over to the Somali Armed Forces along with 14 military trucks.
According to the command of the Armed Forces of Somalia, the equipment will be used by the special operations forces unit "Gorgor", which was trained by instructors of the Turkish Armed Forces.
According to TSAMTO, Turkey handed over the first batch of equipment, including 12 Kirpi armored vehicles and two Mitsubishi Triton light pickups, to the Somali Armed Forces in August 2020.
The 19-ton BBM "Kirpi" developed by BMC is designed to carry a crew of 13 people (3+10). The vehicle is equipped with a monocoque armored hull made of welded steel with a V-shaped bottom, which provides a high level of protection against mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), small arms fire and shell fragments. The BBM is equipped with a Cummins engine with a capacity of 350 hp, an automatic transmission and develops speed on the highway up to 100 km/h. The power reserve is 800 km. "Kirpi" can be armed with a 7.62 or 12.7-mm machine gun or a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher.
