Turkey’s locally produced rifles outnumber 40,000

By Goksel Yildirim

ANKARA (AA) - The number of Turkey’s locally produced infantry rifles reached over 40,000 in the inventory of the armed forces.

Since 2017, Mechanical and Chemical Industry Company (MKEK) manufactured more than 40,000 MPT-76, named after the Turkish acronym of National Infantry Rifle, for Turkish Armed Forces, with the 4,500 new deliveries recently, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency.

MPT-76 was designed and produced with national sources -- without any technical support from abroad -- in Turkey.

The rifle, which is able to fire 650 shots per minute, has succeeded in all the NATO tests, including those testing resistance to cold and hot air, sand, rain and mud.

Some four kilogram (8.8 pound) in weight, the rifle -- using bullets with a diameter of 7.62 mm -- has 600-meter effective range and 12,000 shot barrel lifespan.

The MKEK conducts the serial production process of the rifle with two Turkish firms -- Kale Kalip and Sarsilmaz Silah.

* Writing by Gokhan Ergocun in Istanbul