Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation

Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation

Type	Public company
Industry	Defence
Founded	15 March 1950
Founder	Turkish Government
Headquarters	Ankara, Turkey
Area served	Armed forces
Products	Assault rifles Ammunition Artillery systems Aerial bombs Land mines Explosives Rockets
Revenue	850 million (2011)
Owner	Turkey: 100%
Number of employees	7430
Website	http://www.mkek.gov.tr

The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (Turkish: Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu or MKEK or Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi or MKE for short), established in 1950, is a reorganization of government-controlled group of factories in Turkey that supplied the Turkish Armed Forces with military products.

Its roots lie in the "Tophane-i Amire" ("Royal Arsenal") built in the latter part of the 15th Century to supply the Ottoman Empire's artillery corps with cannon, powder, and shot. This was reorganized in 1832 as the "Tophane Müşavirliği" ("Arsenal of Ordnance and Artillery Marshalship") and was later formed in a department of "Harbiye Nezareti" (Ministry of War) in 1908. After World War I and the following "Young Turks" revolt, it was reorganized as the "General Directorate of Military Factories" in 1923. Today, the MKE is made up of 12 facilities that employ 7,430 personnel.

The corporation mainly produces equipment for the Turkish Armed Forces, such as the ammunition for small arms and heavy weapons, artillery systems, aerial bombs, mines, explosives, and rockets. MKEK also manufactures civil-purpose products such as steel, brass, and electrical parts and equipment. Its large range of defense industry products are not only demanded in Turkey, but are exported to more than 40 countries worldwide.

In 2011, the company has sold military products to 29 countries worldwide. The first smoothbore gun for Altay main battle tank was introduced in 2011.