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Enfal-17, Tolga and Attila howitzers debut as MKE brings 52 products to SAHA

MKE's 105 mm howitzer Uran on display at the 2026 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition (SAHA 2026) in Istanbul, May 5, 2026. (AA Photo)
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MKE's 105 mm howitzer Uran on display at the 2026 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition (SAHA 2026) in Istanbul, May 5, 2026. (AA Photo)
May 11, 2026 11:30 AM GMT+03:00

Turkish defense firm Mechanical and Chemical Industry (MKE) presented 52 new products at SAHA 2026.

The products include the Enfal-17 anti-drone missile, a 20-kilowatt laser weapon system, the Piranha kamikaze unmanned surface vehicle (USV), the Malaman smart bottom mine, the Atilla 155mm vehicle-mounted howitzer, and the first public details of Tolga's naval version.

MKE CEO Ilhami Keles revealed that the company's backlog had reached $8.5 billion and that the 155mm artillery orders had grown from zero to millions of rounds after an 18-year gap.

Keles described the trajectory bluntly: "When this started, MKE's 155mm shell production capacity was just 4,000. Now we're talking millions. MKE's current backlog has reached $8.5 billion."

He said NATO stock levels had fallen from 45 days at the end of the Cold War to just 12, and that Russia's experience in Ukraine, exhausting sophisticated stockpiles within months, had driven the global return to conventional serial production.

MKE's response was a new production philosophy, which it calls EBU: "Etkili, Basit, Ucuz—Effective, Simple, Cheap."

Enfal-17: One-Eighth the cost, effective against Shaheds

Enfal-17 is a rocket system integrated into the Tolga close-air defense architecture, designed to defeat threats below 30,000 feet, including Shahed-type kamikaze drones, stand-off munitions, attack helicopters, and low-altitude manned aircraft.

It is 1.85 meters long, 70mm in caliber, and fitted with a fragmentation warhead and proximity fuse. Its four-tube launcher can rotate continuously on 360 degrees with an elevation range of -30 to +90 degrees, and was demonstrated mounted on a Ford Ranger pickup.

"This system has two fundamental features. First is hit quality, a high hit rate. Second is being EBU, effective, simple, cheap. It costs one-eighth less than its equivalents. Because the threat is low-cost, the solution also has to be low-cost," Keles said.

He cited Gulf states being forced to fire Patriots at simple Shahed drones during the Iran war as the precise problem Enfal-17 solves.

The system has completed altitude tests with accuracy tests to follow, and has already been sold to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

A view of the Enfal-17 anti-drone missile system at SAHA 2026 International Defense, Aerospace and Space Industry Fair in Istanbul, May 8, 2026. (AA Photo)
A view of the Enfal-17 anti-drone missile system at SAHA 2026 International Defense, Aerospace and Space Industry Fair in Istanbul, May 8, 2026. (AA Photo)

Tolga

MKE debuted a 20-kilowatt laser weapon system (4×5 kW) integrated into Tolga, using a linear motor turret for precision tracking. The system operates in three engagement modes depending on the range: dazzling enemy optics at 4,500-2,500 meters; permanently blinding targets at 2,500-1,500 meters; and physically destroying threats at 1,500-100 meters.

It features a continuous 360-degree rotation with 30/+90-degree elevation. Keles said the linear motor allows the turret to track at pixel-level precision: "The motor runs continuously and can complete a 360-degree rotation in such fine increments that you can imagine the pixel count. That's precise."

Four laser sources are currently integrated with capacity for more.

A new acoustic detection system was also unveiled as a sensor add-on for Tolga. It can detect aerial threats at ranges of 100-1,500 meters, depending on acoustic signature, classify the threat type, and transmit detection data with GPS coordinates via radio frequency to the command post.

Built on digital signal processors, the system weighs 2.7 kilograms without a tripod and runs on a battery for 10-12 days of continuous operation.

MKE also detailed Tolga's naval variant for the first time, featuring AESA radar, AI-supported command-and-control and a twin-barrel 20mm close-in weapon system.

"One barrel fires 1,600 rounds per minute. Two barrels give 3,200 rounds, equivalent to Phalanx," Keles said.

The naval Tolga has been integrated onto the Beykoz vessel with firing tests completed and was developed at the request of the Naval Forces Command.

Atilla: 155mm in 60 seconds, semi-automatic loading

MKE unveiled the Atilla truck-mounted 155/52mm howitzer, which uses the barrel and recoil system of the T-155 Panter towed howitzer mounted on a Czech Tatra T815 6×6 chassis.

A semi-automatic loading system places 36 rounds in a honeycomb magazine with a matching charge magazine, achieving a rate of fire of 4-6 rounds per minute.

The system is ready to fire in 60 seconds after stopping and ready to move in 45 seconds.

Dimensions are 11,500mm length, 3,000mm width, 3,800mm height, at a combat weight of 29 tonnes. The prototype will go to the firing range after SAHA 2026 closes.

An aerial view of the MKE's Atilla truck-mounted 155/52mm howitzer during the 2026 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition (SAHA 2026) in Istanbul, May 5, 2026. (AA Photo)
An aerial view of the MKE's Atilla truck-mounted 155/52mm howitzer during the 2026 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition (SAHA 2026) in Istanbul, May 5, 2026. (AA Photo)

Malaman: Smart bottom mine with friend-or-foe ID

The Malaman smart bottom mine operates at 50-100 meter depths and can be deployed from aircraft, surface vessels, or submarines.

It uses seven sensors in a passive-only configuration, leaving no sonar footprint, to classify contacts against its onboard acoustic signature library and distinguish between friend and foe.

Speaking to a Turkish defense media outlet, SavunmasanayiST, Keles said it gradually settles into the seabed to further reduce detectability. Live detonation tests with the Naval Forces Command have been completed and serial production has begun.

Piranha: Kamikaze USV with swarm AI, low radar signature

The Piranha kamikaze unmanned surface vehicle carries approximately 100 kilograms of explosive, uses AI-based autonomous targeting and swarm coordination, and is designed with a low radar cross-section comparable to F-35 shaping principles, Keles said.

Tested aboard TCG Anadolu with TB3 and SATCOM infrastructure, it is entering inventory.

A decoy variant with a deliberately enhanced radar signature was also described, designed to operate alongside stealthy Piranha units to confuse adversary air defense.

Denizhan 76mm naval gun: 31 units in production

MKE signed a contract at SAHA 2026 with ASFAT for four Denizhan 76/62mm naval guns for four offshore patrol vessels. The tenth gun passed firing tests at the Karapinar range during the fair. A production facility has been established in Mamak with output targeted to increase 500%.

Proximity-fused fragmentation munitions for the system are in development, which will enable it to engage Shahed-type drones, stand-off munitions and low-altitude helicopters.

"Muzzle velocity is 16 kms range, rate of fire is 80 rounds per minute, with fragmentation munitions, it will have a meaningful effect," Keles said.

Distinguished Observer Day activities of the SeaWolf-I/2025 exercise, conducted by the Turkish Naval Forces Command in the Black Sea in Antalya, October 10, 2025. (AA Photo)
Distinguished Observer Day activities of the SeaWolf-I/2025 exercise, conducted by the Turkish Naval Forces Command in the Black Sea in Antalya, October 10, 2025. (AA Photo)

Deals with Hungary, Azerbaijan and Turkish Gendarmerie

Tolga integration agreements were signed with the Hungarian firm HT Division to mount the system on its unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), with the combined system set to debut at Eurosatory in June.

A deal was signed with Azerbaijan's MIRAS for BMP-1 modernization and the integration of the Tolga turret.

The Gendarmerie Public Security Foundation (JAVDES) signed a contract for Tolga integration across the Gendarmerie General Command.

Rifle export to the US, CBRN modernization

MKE also signed a deal with a U.S. company, Century Arms, for the export of 12 semi-automatic rifle models.

A contract was signed with the defense ministry for domestically developed chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protective systems, the first such systems to be manufactured indigenously.

MKE also disclosed work on biological threat-detection drones and robotic-dog platforms for CBRN missions.

May 11, 2026 11:30 AM GMT+03:00
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