MKE Reveals Türkiye’s Emerging Ecosystem for Layered Air Defense and Rapid Mobile Artillery in Modern High-Intensity Warfare.

Turkish defense manufacturer Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi used SAHA Expo 2026 in Istanbul to unveil a broad portfolio of artillery, air defense, naval, and combat-support systems that reflects Türkiye’s shift toward integrated battlefield capabilities and greater military-industrial autonomy. As detailed during an exclusive briefing to Army Recognition Group by MKE Deputy General Manager Tolga M. Celik, the company’s latest systems are designed around the operational realities of modern high-intensity warfare, where survivability, mobility, counter-drone protection, and sustained firepower increasingly determine combat effectiveness.

The centerpiece of the showcase was the layered TOLGA VSHORAD architecture and its newly integrated ENFAL-17 missile, laser weapon, and acoustic detection technologies, which together demonstrate Türkiye’s growing focus on affordable multi-layer air defense against drones, loitering munitions, and low-altitude threats. MKE also highlighted the URAN 105 mm mobile artillery system and the ATTİLA 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer, reinforcing Türkiye’s push toward highly mobile “shoot-and-scoot” fire support systems optimized for dispersed operations, rapid deployment, and survivability under modern counter-battery and drone-intensive combat conditions.

Related Topic: Türkiye’s MKE URAN 105 mm System Delivers a Mobile Firepower Solution for NATO Distributed Operations

MKE used SAHA Expo 2026 to unveil a broad portfolio of layered air defense, rapid mobile artillery, naval munitions, and battlefield support systems designed around the operational demands of modern high-intensity warfare (Picture Source: Edited By Army Recognition Group)

At SAHA Expo 2026 in Istanbul, Turkish defense company Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi A.Ş. delivered one of the exhibition’s most complete and strategically significant showcases, presenting a new generation of artillery, very short-range air defense, naval ammunition, mine-clearing systems, and small arms. The display highlighted MKE’s transformation from a historic ammunition and weapons manufacturer into one of Türkiye’s central defense-industrial pillars, with a portfolio shaped by the operational lessons of modern warfare and by Ankara’s drive for greater defense sovereignty.

Among the systems presented were the ATTİLA 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer, the URAN 105 mm mobile artillery system, the expanded TOLGA short-range air defense architecture, the ENFAL-17 low-altitude missile, newly integrated laser and acoustic detection technologies, the ALPAY-2 minefield breaching system, the MALAMAN smart naval mine, new 130 mm naval chaff ammunition, and the MKE-300 Blackout rifle. Army Recognition Group also conducted an exclusive interview at the exhibition with Mr. Tolga M. Celik, Deputy General Manager of MKE, who guided our team through the newly unveiled products and provided detailed briefings on the TOLGA VSHORAD air defense system, the ENFAL-17 missile, the URAN mobile howitzer system, and MKE’s ammunition solutions.

MKE’s display at SAHA Expo 2026 was not simply a product presentation. It was a strategic message about Türkiye’s growing ability to design, manufacture, integrate, and export defense systems adapted to the operational realities of modern warfare. In recent conflicts, artillery mobility, counter-drone protection, ammunition supply, minefield breaching, naval survivability, and rapid fire support have become decisive factors. MKE’s portfolio directly addressed these requirements and showed how Turkish industry is moving from single-product manufacturing toward integrated battlefield solutions. The tone of the company’s participation was therefore clear: Türkiye no longer seeks only to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, but to become a provider of complete, NATO-compatible, and exportable combat systems developed through national engineering and industrial sovereignty.

The central focus of MKE’s air defense presentation was the TOLGA VSHORAD system, developed to meet the new aerial threats emerging from current battlefields. As explained to Army Recognition Group by Mr. Tolga M. Celik, TOLGA is not a single weapon station but a layered very short-range air defense architecture combining radar systems, hard-kill effectors, and soft-kill solutions in different calibers and ranges. This approach reflects the growing complexity of the low-altitude threat environment, including small drones, loitering munitions, low-flying aerial platforms, and asymmetric air attack systems. Instead of relying on one effector, MKE has developed TOLGA as an integrated defensive ecosystem able to detect, identify, track, disrupt, and neutralize threats through complementary layers. This makes TOLGA one of the clearest examples of how MKE is transforming operational lessons into a Turkish-built air defense architecture designed for modern warfare.

At SAHA Expo 2026, MKE showcased three newly added technologies integrated into the TOLGA system: a Laser Weapon System, an Acoustic Sensor, and the ENFAL-17 missile system. This evolution moves TOLGA from a gun-based counter-UAV capability toward a multi-layer air defense solution able to address drones, loitering munitions, helicopters, and other low-altitude threats. The Laser Weapon System provides a directed-energy option against selected aerial targets and optical systems, while the Acoustic Sensor improves detection against small or low-signature threats that may be difficult to identify through radar alone. The ENFAL-17 missile adds a kinetic interception layer, extending the system’s engagement options beyond gun-only solutions. Together, these additions show that MKE is developing TOLGA as a flexible and expandable air defense system based on operational realism, cost-effectiveness, and technological sovereignty.

The ENFAL-17 low-altitude air defense missile was one of the notable new products associated with the TOLGA family. Information presented during the exhibition described it as a 70 mm-diameter missile, approximately two meters long, using solid propulsion and designed to engage low-altitude aerial targets. Its integration with TOLGA gives MKE a missile-based hard-kill layer that complements guns, jammers, radar systems, acoustic detection, electro-optical tracking, and directed-energy effectors. In current conflicts, where armed forces must intercept large numbers of relatively low-cost drones without exhausting expensive air defense interceptors, the development of a simpler and more affordable missile solution is highly relevant. For Türkiye, ENFAL-17 reinforces the national counter-UAV ecosystem and contributes to the country’s growing role in the international short-range air defense market.

Alongside its air defense display, MKE unveiled the URAN 105 mm vehicle-mounted weapon system, another important artillery development as reported by Army Recognition Group on May 5, 2026. URAN transfers the firepower and operational experience of the BORAN 105 mm lightweight howitzer onto a mobile 4x4 platform. Integrated on the KİA Light Tactical Vehicle, URAN is designed to give land forces a fast-moving fire-support system able to move, fire, and relocate before enemy drones, radars, or counter-battery systems can fix its position. The system combines a 105 mm gun with an MKE-developed fire control system, offers a rate of fire of up to 12 rounds per minute, and can engage targets at distances of up to 18 km. Army Recognition Group also noted that the KLTV platform gives the system high road mobility, with the vehicle described as offering strong off-road performance and a maximum speed of 130 km/h.

URAN is particularly significant because it transforms the logic of the 105 mm howitzer. Traditionally, such weapons have been valued for their lighter weight, ease of deployment, and suitability for mountain, airborne, or rapid reaction operations. By mounting this firepower on a 4x4 tactical vehicle, MKE has created a system that can support dispersed operations, border defense, island defense, mountain warfare, rapid reinforcement missions, and light mechanized units. Compared with heavier 155 mm artillery, URAN offers a lighter and more flexible option for missions where speed, terrain access, and deployment simplicity are more important than maximum range or shell weight. Its baseline comes from BORAN, a 105 mm lightweight howitzer already in service with the Turkish Armed Forces and exported to Bangladesh in 2024, which Army Recognition Group described as the first howitzer export in the history of the Republic of Türkiye. In this sense, URAN is not an isolated experiment, but the mobile evolution of a proven Turkish artillery capability.

A central element of MKE’s wider artillery showcase was also the ATTİLA 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer, unveiled at SAHA Expo 2026 as a new high-mobility artillery solution. As reported by Army Recognition Group, ATTİLA is mounted on a Tatra 6x6 tactical chassis and integrates a 155 mm 52-caliber gun, placing it in the same operational category as systems such as CAESAR, ATMOS 2000, and Archer. The system is designed for modern shoot-and-scoot operations, where artillery units must deploy quickly, fire, and relocate before counter-battery radars, drones, or precision weapons can target their position. Army Recognition Group reported that ATTİLA can fire four to six rounds per minute, carries 38 rounds onboard, and also carries three smoke or illumination shells. It reportedly requires around 50 seconds to enter firing position and approximately 35 seconds to leave position after completing a fire mission, while its maximum road speed of 85 km/h, operational range of up to 850 km, and combat weight of around 29 tonnes give it a strong operational profile for high-intensity warfare.

MKE also used SAHA Expo 2026 to briefly present other newly unveiled or newly highlighted systems that complement its core air defense and artillery portfolio. In the engineering domain, the ALPAY-2 vehicle-mounted minefield breaching system was presented as a capability designed to create safe corridors through mined terrain, a requirement that has regained major importance as recent conflicts have shown how dense minefields can slow or stop mechanized operations. In the naval domain, MKE displayed the MALAMAN smart bottom mine, designed to detect and classify targets through acoustic, magnetic, and pressure sensors, as well as new 130 mm chaff ammunition for naval self-protection against radar-guided anti-ship missiles. The company also displayed the MKE-300 Blackout rifle, a compact weapon associated with special operations and close-quarter combat requirements. These systems show that MKE is not only focused on large platforms, but also on the supporting technologies, munitions, and tactical systems that allow armed forces to operate with greater autonomy and resilience.

MKE’s ammunition solutions formed another central part of the briefing provided to Army Recognition Group by Mr. Tolga M. Celik. These solutions are a key element of the company’s identity and remain one of its strongest industrial advantages. In modern conflicts, the availability, reliability, and diversity of ammunition are as important as the platforms themselves. Artillery systems, air defense weapons, small arms, naval systems, and counter-drone solutions all depend on a secure and sovereign ammunition supply. By presenting both weapon systems and the ammunition needed to sustain them, MKE showed the depth of Türkiye’s defense-industrial base and its ability to support long-duration operations without relying entirely on external suppliers. This is one of the areas where MKE gives Türkiye a decisive strategic advantage, because national firepower is only credible when it is backed by scalable ammunition production.

MKE’s showcase at SAHA Expo 2026 highlighted a company moving rapidly into a new phase. TOLGA, ENFAL-17, the Laser Weapon System, and the Acoustic Sensor show a serious Turkish approach to counter-drone and short-range air defense. URAN transforms proven 105 mm firepower into a fast 4x4 system for distributed operations, while ATTİLA brings Türkiye into the market for high-mobility 155 mm NATO-standard artillery. ALPAY-2 addresses the renewed challenge of mine warfare, MALAMAN and the new chaff munitions strengthen naval deterrence and ship protection, and the MKE-300 Blackout rifle confirms the company’s continued role in small arms. Together, these systems show MKE as a central pillar of Türkiye’s defense industry: technically ambitious, export-oriented, operationally relevant, and increasingly capable of offering complete solutions for the modern battlefield. With the exclusive briefing provided to Army Recognition Group by Mr. Tolga M. Celik, SAHA Expo 2026 also confirmed that MKE is not only presenting new products, but helping shape Türkiye’s rise as an independent, confident, and increasingly influential defense power.

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.