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Mechanical and Chemical Industries Corporation (MKE) signed a contract with Albania to export six Boran 105 mm air-transportable light towed howitzers and an undisclosed quantity of ammunition, the Turkish state defense company announced ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara.
The deal makes Albania the third country to add the domestically developed system to its inventory and gives Boran its second European export customer, following North Macedonia in 2025.
Boran's first export was to Bangladesh in 2024, which also marked the first howitzer export in the history of the Turkish Republic, according to MKE.
North Macedonia became the system's first European customer in 2025.
Albania, also a NATO member, is now the second European country to select the system.
MKE announced the agreement in a post on X, calling it "the first defense industry export signing ahead of the NATO summit."
"Signatures were made ahead of the NATO summit," MKE wrote, adding that the howitzers would be delivered to Albania in the near term.
The Boran system entered the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) inventory in 2021 and has been in active use since.
The 105 mm, 30-caliber howitzer weighs 1,745 kilograms, including its fire control system, and can be airlifted by Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, as well as a variety of light vehicles.
Boran reaches firing position in under one minute and fires six rounds per minute, according to MKE's technical specifications. The system can fire 12 accurate rounds in 33 seconds, which MKE describes as a world record performance for its class.
Its fire control system includes GPS and a panoramic scope, enabling high-precision targeting. The howitzer operates across elevation angles from -3 to +70 degrees and lateral traverse of 8 degrees left and 8 degrees right. It functions continuously for eight hours in temperatures ranging from -32 to +44 degrees Celsius.
A crew of five operates the system, which can be positioned independently of classical positioning procedures, according to MKE.
The maximum range at sea level is 17 kilometers (10.56) with standard ammunition.
The contract was signed in the days leading up to the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara on July 7-8, which is set to feature a defense industry forum for the first time as part of the official summit program.
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