MKE completes second ammunition plant in Jordan
Turkey’s Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) has finished installing a medium- and large-caliber ammunition and aircraft bomb filling and assembly plant in Jordan, its second technology-transfer project there. According to an MKE statement carried by Anadolu Agency, the plant is at the final stage before commissioning. It is not yet producing.
Last updated: 29 October 2026
What MKE said
The announcement came during SOFEX 2026 in Aqaba (27-29 October). MKE’s first Jordanian project is a cartridge production plant, operating since 2024. The new facility is the second. The statement gives no capacity, investment value, site or commissioning date, and we could not verify them.
MKE also says it trains staff in production and maintenance and provides technical assistance, and that talks continue on a maintenance contract for the existing Jordanian plants and on a new raw-material production plant. The company counts 11 technology-transfer projects in 9 countries, completed or ongoing.
What a filling and assembly plant does
Such a line combines bodies, fuzes and other components with explosive fill to produce finished rounds and bombs. Under a turnkey model the supplier builds the line, trains local staff and keeps supporting it, so the customer can produce for its own armed forces domestically.
Background: the 2024 agreements
Turkiye Today reported in September 2024 that MKE had signed two agreements with the Jordan Design and Development Bureau (JODDB) and the Jordan Armed Forces. The July 2024 deal with the armed forces covered assembly lines for 81 mm and 120 mm mortar rounds, 155 mm M107 artillery shells and MK81, MK82 and MK84 aircraft bombs. The light-ammunition line covered 5.56×45, 7.62×39, 7.62×51 and 9×19 mm.
MKE’s new statement does not say the plant matches that scope exactly; it refers only to medium- and large-caliber ammunition and aircraft bombs. At SOFEX, MKE displayed an MK82 bomb and 25-120 mm ammunition mock-ups.
Why it matters regionally
Local filling capacity can reduce Jordan’s dependence on imported ammunition. For other Middle Eastern buyers, MKE is showing it sells production lines as well as finished rounds. How this positions MKE against other suppliers is not covered in the sources we reviewed, so we make no comparison.
Institutional note
MKE is affiliated with Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence. The sources do not describe a role for the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) in this project, so we do not claim one.
FAQ
How many plants has MKE built in Jordan?
Two technology-transfer projects: the cartridge plant (operating since 2024) and the newly installed filling and assembly plant.
Is the new plant producing?
Not yet. Installation is complete and commissioning is in its final stage; no start date has been announced.
What does the plant fill?
MKE says medium- and large-caliber ammunition and aircraft bombs. A full caliber list was not given.
Sources
- MKE statement via Anadolu Agency, Son Dakika: https://www.sondakika.com/guncel/haber-mke-urdun-deki-muhimmat-tesisinin-kurulumunu-tamam-20376970/
- SavunmaSanayiST: https://www.savunmasanayist.com/mkeden-urdune-ikinci-anahtar-teslim-tesis/
- Turkiye Today (2024 agreements): https://www.turkiyetoday.com/turkiye/turkish-mke-signs-key-defense-agreements-with-jordan-49098
