Serving the Turkish defence industry since the Ottoman times and having accomplished many tasks up to the present, MKEK (Machinery and Chemical Industry Institution) proceeds silently yet modestly and decisively as a state economic enterprise. The Institution is in the process of shedding its skin with respect to its structure and areas of concentration.
Until very recently, MKEK has represented an institution, which only deals with arms and various ammunition sales. Later on, with the development of the National Infantry Rifle MPT-76 and the accomplishments of Fırtına howitzer in cross-border operations, the public opinion came to the realisation that MKEK is not simply a state institution but one of the major suppliers of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). What the public do not know or remember is that MKEK was in fact an industrial pioneer in the Republican era. The Institution, which produced the world’s most qualified barrel steels and barrels in 1940s, also produced and exported Turkey’s first aircraft called Uğur 44 in 1950s. Certainly, these firsts are not limited to defence and aviation industry. In Turkey, rail rolling and realisation of iron-steel sheet metal and brass products were made possible for the first time under MKEK premises. Then followed the manufacturing, agriculture, textile and electric sectors… They all bear the signs of MKEK. Since it is the case, the recently appointed MKEK General Manager Ahmet Taşkın, has rolled up his sleeves to resuscitate this pioneering spirit, which makes itself felt along the Institution’s corridors.
