Turkey Picks SAR9 METE CE as New Sidearm for TSK Officers and NCOs
Turkey has settled on the new standard-issue sidearm for the officers and non-commissioned officers of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The SAR9 METE CE, a variant of Sarsılmaz’s domestically designed SAR9 METE pistol, has cleared demanding service trials and is now entering the force’s inventory.
According to Turkish media reports, the evaluation was coordinated by the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), and the SAR9 METE CE was selected to meet the sidearm requirement of TSK officers and NCOs. The pistol is expected to reach units gradually following the completion of durability and reliability testing.
The move continues a broader localisation push in Turkey’s small-arms inventory. The national police and gendarmerie already switched their duty sidearms to domestic production years ago; the officer and NCO corps of the armed forces is now following the same path.
Where the SAR9 METE family comes from
The SAR9 METE was designed and is manufactured by Sarsılmaz under the Presidency of Defence Industries’ Indigenous Domestic Pistol Development programme, known by its Turkish acronym ÖYTG. The programme produced Turkey’s first fully indigenously designed and engineered national duty pistol. During ÖYTG testing, a joint commission drawn from the armed forces, the police and the gendarmerie ranked the SAR9 METE first among the candidates evaluated.
The SAR9 METE family is already widely fielded by the General Directorate of Security and the Gendarmerie General Command, with Sarsılmaz having delivered more than 180,000 pistols to the two institutions to date. The SAR9 METE CE stands out as the variant earmarked specifically for the officer and NCO tier of the armed forces.
Technical specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Calibre | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Barrel length | 113.5mm (4.5in) |
| Unloaded weight | ~650g |
| Magazine capacity | 10 / 15 / 17 / 19 rounds |
| Frame | New-generation lightweight polymer |
Three sizes of interchangeable side panels and backstraps allow the SAR9 METE to fit different hand sizes. The pistol has a fixed rear sight compatible with red-dot optics, along with a trigger safety, firing-pin block and a manual safety catch. Its steel barrel and slide, mated to an alloy frame, are cited among the features that held up under durability testing.
Why now, and why it matters
Issuing a single domestic pistol platform to TSK officers and NCOs fits into Turkey’s broader effort to consolidate its small-arms inventory around fewer indigenous designs. Extending a pistol already proven in police and gendarmerie service to the military’s command tier brings logistics and ammunition-standardisation benefits, and a single platform and calibre across services tends to lower maintenance and training costs over time.
Sarsılmaz exports the SAR9 line to more than 80 countries, including the United States, where the pistol has twice won a leading industry “handgun of the year” award. Adoption by TSK’s own officer and NCO corps gives the manufacturer a fresh reference point for its export marketing: a pistol now carried by the armed forces of its home country as well as police services worldwide.
No official timeline for the rollout, or which units will receive the pistol first, has been disclosed so far. Envanter Medya will update this report as the SSB or the Land Forces Command release further details.
Sources: NTV Haber, “Mehmetçiğin beylik tabancası değişiyor: İşte SAR9 METE CE” (30 September 2026) – for the announcement and testing process; İstanbul Ticaret Gazetesi, “Mehmetçiğe yerli görev tabancası: TSK’nın subay ve astsubaylarına SAR9 METE CE verilecek” (30 September 2026) – for scope and target personnel; Sarsılmaz official product information – for SAR9 METE specifications, ÖYTG programme history and export figures.
