MKE’s investment programme aims to eliminate foreign dependency in explosive raw materials by establishing a fully integrated energetics production chain from chemical inputs to warhead effects.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence announced that foreign dependency in explosive raw materials will be eliminated through new investments by state-owned Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE). The statement was delivered during the Ministry’s Weekly Press Briefing held at the National Defence University campus in Istanbul by Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, Press and Public Relations Advisor and Ministry Spokesperson.
Under a $1.5bn investment programme covering the 2023–2027 period, MKE is set to significantly expand its production capacity across a wide range of munitions and weapon systems. The programme includes increased output of 155 mm artillery ammunition, the 76 mm Denizhan national naval gun, artillery and 2.75-inch rockets, as well as 60, 81 and 120 mm mortar rounds. Production capacity for tank and artillery systems, sniper ammunition and small-calibre weapons will also be enhanced.
The most critical component of the programme is the establishment of Hüseyin Kahya Energetic Materials Factory in Kırıkkale, which is scheduled to become operational in 2026. The facility will produce nitrocellulose, propellants and rocket fuels, alongside a range of strategic explosives. In addition, concentrated nitric acid and solid TNT will be produced domestically for the first time.
This development signals a structural shift in Türkiye’s defence industrial base. Beyond increasing output, the programme establishes an end-to-end energetics capability, integrating propulsion and warhead production with the underlying chemical inputs. Nitrocellulose-based materials underpin propulsion systems, while TNT and similar explosives define warhead lethality. The domestic production of nitric acid, in turn, provides the essential chemical foundation for both.
As a result, Türkiye is moving from assembling munitions to mastering the full energetics value chain, strengthening supply security, ensuring wartime production continuity, and reinforcing its strategic autonomy in defence manufacturing.