[1][2] The monocoque steel v-hull provides protection against small arms fire, artillery shell shrapnel, and to a certain degree against anti-personnel and tank mines, and IEDs.

In December 2016, footage of a PKK attack against Turkish M-60 Sabra tanks circulated the Internet, showing the crew of a Cobra APC surviving a direct hit from a shoulder-launched, RPG-7 anti-tank rocket.

[citation needed] In the 2008 South Ossetia war, Cobra vehicles equipped with 12.7 mm NSV machine guns and 40 mm automatic grenade launchers[4] were used by the special forces of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs during their assault on the city in the Battle of Tskhinvali.

[citation needed] Cobras have shown to be highly resistant against most mine and IED attacks, with the crew surviving most incidents without any injuries.

The increasing sophistication of IED use by the PKK and the loss of eight soldiers inside one on August 19, 2015, has prompted the Turkish Armed Forces to upgrade its fleet of armoured vehicles.