MKE Completes R&D on Denizhan-76 Naval Gun Ammunition, Targets 2027 Serial Production
Turkish state-owned manufacturer Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) has completed research and development on main and fragmentation rounds for its 76/62mm Denizhan-76 naval gun, with serial production of the ammunition now targeted to begin in 2027.
The two round types address different tactical needs. Main rounds are intended for direct fire against ship and coastal targets, while fragmentation rounds are designed to detonate in the air, creating a wider effect area against smaller or massed targets such as drones and fast-attack craft swarms. The distinction allows the 76mm gun to remain relevant against both conventional naval targets and newer asymmetric threats.
The information was shared by MKE representatives during a visit by Spanish defense outlet Infodefensa to the company’s facilities in Ankara. Live-fire testing of the rounds is reportedly ongoing, though no contract value, quantity, or formal production decision has been disclosed.
The Turkish Navy currently sources 76mm naval gun ammunition from foreign suppliers. Bringing round production in-house is intended to reduce that dependency and secure uninterrupted ammunition supply during a potential crisis or conflict, when import channels could be constrained.
The Denizhan-76 fires at a rate of 80 rounds per minute and has a range of 16 kilometers with standard ammunition. The gun is assembled at MKE’s Machinery and Technology Factory in Mamak, Ankara, while its 62-caliber barrel is supplied by the Heavy Weapons Factory in Kırıkkale. It was developed to replace the Italian-made Oto Melara 76mm guns that have equipped Turkish Navy vessels for decades.
Development of the Denizhan-76 dates back to the late 2010s, with first deliveries to the Turkish Navy beginning in 2023 and the number of guns in service growing steadily since. In early October 2026, MKE delivered the ninth Denizhan-76 gun to the Naval Forces Command.
The gun currently arms the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) TCG Akhisar. Under the broader contract, the second OPV, TCG Koçhisar, along with the sixth, seventh and eighth vessels of the MİLGEM İstif class, are also slated to receive the Denizhan-76.
Romania became the gun’s first foreign customer, integrating the Denizhan-76 onto its Navy corvette Contraamiral Horia Macellariu. Acceptance testing has also been completed for Indonesia, indicating that the Turkish-made naval gun is being validated in both NATO and non-NATO markets simultaneously.
Alongside the 76mm line, MKE is also developing a 127mm variant, the Denizhan-127. Company officials noted that this gun’s ammunition production timeline is separate from the 2027 target and remains at an earlier stage of development.
Turkey’s defense industry has increasingly emphasized localizing ammunition and consumable production alongside platform exports in recent years. For artillery and naval systems, bringing round manufacturing in-house — alongside barrels, mounts and fire-control software — directly affects a platform’s long-term sustainability, since a gun’s strategic value is largely determined by uninterrupted wartime ammunition supply.
Localizing the ammunition line completes the transition of the Denizhan family to domestic production in both the platform and the munitions it fires. The program forms part of a broader strategy to bring the supply chains of weapon systems aboard Turkey’s newer naval vessels — including the MİLGEM and Istanbul-class frigates — fully onshore.
Sources
- Infodefensa, “Turquía iniciará en 2027 la producción en serie de munición naval convencional y de fragmentación de 76 mm,” October 24, 2026 — based on an interview with MKE officials during a facility visit in Ankara. Source link, used as the primary basis for this report.
