According to Turkiye’s state-owned Anadolu Agency, the gun will be fitted on the first Hisar-class OPV, the future TCG Akhisar, which was recently launched by ASFAT in Istanbul Naval Shipyard. The first two ships of the OPV project are contracted to be armed with MKE’s 76mm naval gun.
After completion of the land tests in December 2021 at the Konya Karapinar test site, MKE installed the prototype onboard the D’Estienne d’Orves-class aviso corvette TCG Beykoz in July 2022 and began sea trials in coordination with the Turkish Navy.
The contract that MKE signed with the Turkish Defense Agency also includes equipping the 6th, 7th and 8th ships of the MİLGEM project (2nd, 3rd and 4th I-class frigates) with the 76mm naval gun. After signing the contract, MKE started production in accordance with the project schedule.
MKE is currently working on developing a 127mm gun indigenously for the Turkish Naval Forces.
MKE 76 mm Naval Gun System
Though the indigenous 76mm naval gun was first unveiled during the IDEF-2021 defense industry exhibition in Istanbul in August, 2021, the project began in 2020.
MKE is the project’s primary contractor. As subcontractors, three private sector companies have worked on the project. In addition to cutting the project’s cost in half, MKE claims that a unique coating added to the gun’s barrel will increase its life.
The indigenous 76mm Naval Gun, according to the company, distinguishes itself with features such as the ability to shoot a wider variety of ammunition than the Italian “Compact” variant, the ability to utilize special fused rounds, and its electro-mechanical structure that permits digital control.
The Turkish Naval Forces place a great value on the domestic production of the 76mm naval gun because it is the main gun of 32 warships, including G-class frigates, ADA-class corvettes, and fast attack crafts.
Developing 76mm weapons will also provide export opportunities for Turkey, which has recently extended its defense industry market. Turkey has been building MILGEM-class corvettes for the Pakistan and Ukrainian navies. As a result, after being field-proven, it appears feasible to sell MKE 76mm guns to these countries.
Specifications of MKE’s 76mm Naval Gun:
• Range: 16km
• Barrel dimensions: 76mm diameter, 4.700 mm length
• Water-cooled barrel
• Firing rate: Max. 80 round/min
• Unloaded Weight: 7.500 kg
• Loaded weight: 8.500 kg
• Magazine capacity: 70 rounds
