 |
MKEK [Turkey] |
|
|
|
World ranking: outside the top 100 MKEK General Directorate. Tandogan 06330, Ankara, Turkey BACKGROUND MKEK's roots go back as far as 1920. The General Directorate of Military Factories, established in 1920, became the Machinery and Chemical Industries Establishment (MKEK) in 1950. It has always been state-owned. In 1987 MKEK had 20 factories and 20,000 employees 4, but both the number of factories and employees appears to have decreased since then. Information on MKEK is difficult to come by - indeed its annual balance sheet was classified until 1984. Though not ranked in the top 100 arms companies by Defense News, SIPRI placed it at 87th in 2000 and as high as 59th in 1998. 5 What it makes MKEK is an integrated holding with 12 affiliated factories.6It makes both military and civilian products, though it has been noted that as far as civilian production goes 'these factories...allow MKEK to provide much of the machine tools and chemicals for arms production'.7 Current products include small arms, mortar and howitzer ammunition, ammunition fuses, hand grenades, pistols, machine guns, automatic rifles, sub-machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, multiple launch rocket systems, mortars, howitzers, anti-tank rockets, artillery rockets and explosives.8 Production under licence Many of MKEK's products are, or have been, made under licence from foreign countries or corporations. Reported examples include production under licence from: Hecker & Koch: In 1998, MKEK won a contract to produce HK33 5.56mm assault rifles.9 MKEK has made G3A3 and G3A4 rifles under licence since the 1970s, and MP5A2, MP5A3 and MP5K sub-machine guns since the 1980s. 10 Giat Industries (France): In 1992, MKEK won a contract to produce 25mm ammunition under licence.11 US: In 1990 production of MLRS started under US licence.12In 1987, MKEK made FFAR 2.75 inch rockets under US licence.13 Oerlikon (Switzerland): In 1988, 35mm gun production started under licence 14; MKEK also makes 20mm automatic guns under licence. 15 Royal Ordnance Factories (UK): In 1987, MKEK made 105mm tank guns under licence.16 Rheinmetall (Germany): MKEK have signed a licence production agreement for the production of the MG3 machine gun.17 Europe: In the 1980s, MKEK was a partner in the European consortium which manufactured Stinger surface-to-air missiles and Maverick air-to-ground missiles.18 Exports A 2000 report noted that MKEK had 'increased its exports in recent years, including many weapons made under licence'. 19 The report went on to catalogue known customers for 1995-1998: in 1995, MKEK sold weapons to 38 countries including Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Libya, Macau, Pakistan, Peru, Singapore, and Tunisia; in 1996 its principal customers were Jordan, Norway, Pakistan, Switzerland, Tunisia, Northern Cyprus, and the UK; and in the first eleven months of 1998, 22 countries were reported to be its customers, including Bosnia, Burundi, Tunisia and the UAE. The Turkish Ministry of National Defence values MKEK's 1999 exports at $6,466,000. 20
|
References |
|
Give us feedback on this page