Türkiye’s Land Forces Command has inducted Fırtına-2 self-propelled howitzers and Akıncı attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into its inventory, while state-owned defense firm Machine and Chemical Industry Inc. (MKE) announced a $1.5 billion investment plan aimed at ending reliance on foreign sources for explosive raw materials, officials said.
The developments were outlined during a weekly press briefing held at the National Defense University in Istanbul, led by Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense. The briefing highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) through domestically developed systems.
Aktürk said the newly inducted platforms completed inspection and acceptance procedures before entering service. He added that ASELSAN has also delivered ACAR 300-G ground and UAV surveillance radars to the Land Forces, enhancing battlefield awareness and targeting capabilities.
The acquisitions form part of a broader modernization drive focused on strengthening deterrence through advanced, locally produced systems. Türkiye has increasingly prioritized indigenous defense technologies to reduce external dependencies and improve operational readiness.
Separately, MKE’s investment program covering 2023–2027 aims to expand production capacity across a wide range of munitions and weapons systems, including 155 mm artillery shells, mortar ammunition, rockets, and small arms. The initiative also includes scaling up production for naval gun systems such as the 76 mm DENİZHAN.
A central component of the plan is the Hüseyin Kahya Energetic Materials Factory in Kırıkkale, scheduled to begin production in 2026. The facility will manufacture critical inputs such as nitrocellulose, propellants, concentrated nitric acid, and TNT.
Officials say the project is designed to eliminate Türkiye’s dependence on imported explosive raw materials, a long-standing vulnerability in its defense supply chain. The move is expected to strengthen supply security and support sustained domestic production of munitions during high-demand periods.
