Syria Got Faulty Turkish-Made Armored Vehicles Ditched By Georgia

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The armored combat vehicles Turkey delivered to the new Syrian military last year were the same ones ditched by the Georgian military for being unreliable..

A batch of Ejder 6×6 vehicles, manufactured by Turkey’s Nurol Makina, were first spotted being shipped on trucks in northern Syria in July. At the time, the vehicles were still painted in the three-tone camouflage of the Georgian military. Later in December, the vehicles, repainted in desert tan, took part in a parade in the capital, Damascus, marking the first anniversary of the fall of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad.

The Ejder 6×6, which weights around 18 tons, features a v-shaped hull for improved protection against landmines and improvised explosive devices, and has an operational range of up to 700 kilometers, with a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

It was reported in 2024 that, having proved unreliable, at least 72 Ejders Georgia received from 2008 had been returned to Turkey in exchange for newly-built BMC Vuran 4×4 armored vehicles.

Notably, the remotely-controlled weapon stations which were installed on the Gregorian military’s Ejders were removed before the delivery to Syria.

It is highly unlikely that the Syrian military got all the Ejders ditched by Georgia, as vehicles of this type were reportedly spotted during a graduation ceremony for new recruits at the Turkish training facility in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, last July.

The Syrian military’s Ejders saw action in battles with Kurdish forces, which took place in the north and east of the country earlier this year. It is unclear if any of the vehicles was lost.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Turkey emerged as the main ally of the new government which was formed by Islamist rebels it backed for years. Ankara is now playing a leading role in the rebuilding of the country’s forces.

In addition to the Ejders, Turkey recently supplied the Syrian military with more capable armored vehicles, like the Cobra and Cobra II, made by Otokar, as well as the Amazon made by BMC Otomotiv.

It is unclear yet if Syria paid for the used Ejders, but it is very possible that the vehicles were sent free of charge. It is also possible that one of Syria’s allies, like Qatar or Saudi Arabia, financed the deal.

While recent supplies from Turkey improved the combat capabilities of the Syrian military somewhat, the country is yet to make up for advanced offensive and defensive weapons destroyed by Israel after the fall of the Assad regime. Ankara and other allies of Syria will not likely help it rebuild these capabilities any time soon, for political, military and financial reasons.

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