MKE and Egypt’s Military Production Ministry Sign Defense Industry MOU
Turkey’s state-owned defense manufacturer Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production covering the joint production and development of defense industry goods. The document was signed around September 3, 2026, ahead of the El Alamein International Airshow 2026, which runs in Egypt from September 8 to 10, and it stands as the first agreement concluded on the sidelines of that airshow.
At a Glance
- MKE and Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production signed a defense industry memorandum of understanding.
- The signing took place around September 3, 2026, ahead of the El Alamein International Airshow running September 8-10.
- Turkish Deputy Minister of National Defense Salih Ayhan and Egyptian Minister of Military Production Major General Salah Soliman Gomblat witnessed the ceremony.
- The document was signed by MKE General Manager Ilhami Keles and Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production Chemical Industries General Manager Hesham Madkour Dakrouri.
- The memorandum covers joint production and development of defense goods, with particular focus on explosives.
- It is the first agreement signed at the El Alamein airshow.
Background
Defense industry cooperation between Turkey and Egypt has visibly gathered pace in recent months. In February 2026, MKE signed a roughly 130-million-dollar contract with Egypt for the TOLGA close-in air defense system, a system that had previously been exported to Qatar as well, giving MKE a proven track record in the region. The new memorandum signed at El Alamein builds on that commercial foundation and points toward a broader industrial partnership.
These developments track closely with the diplomatic normalization between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, following the tensions that followed 2013. As political ties have thawed, obstacles to commercial and strategic cooperation, particularly in the defense sector, appear to have largely fallen away.
What It Means for Turkey
For MKE, the memorandum with Egypt is a natural extension of its export strategy. The company already had a foothold in the Egyptian market through the TOLGA contract; moving into joint production and development, particularly in explosives, signals a shift from a simple buyer-seller relationship toward technology transfer and shared industrial capacity. Such joint-production models let Turkish defense firms position themselves not merely as suppliers but as partners that help build local capacity.
Egypt’s strategic location, straddling North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, makes it an important market for Turkey’s defense industry. With suppliers based in France, Russia and the United States also active in the region, institutional partnerships of this kind help MKE and Turkey secure a lasting foothold in regional competition. The agreement can also be read as a tangible, measurable marker of the broader normalization in Turkish-Egyptian relations.
FAQ
When and where was the memorandum signed? It was signed around September 3, 2026, ahead of the El Alamein International Airshow held in Egypt September 8-10, 2026.
Who signed the agreement? MKE General Manager Ilhami Keles and Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production Chemical Industries General Manager Hesham Madkour Dakrouri signed the document, witnessed by Salih Ayhan and Major General Salah Soliman Gomblat.
What does the memorandum cover? It covers joint production and development of defense industry goods, with a particular emphasis on explosives.
