Turkish company MKE opens subsidiary in Egypt for joint arms production
Turkish defense manufacturer MKE is expanding its international presence by establishing a legal entity in Egypt to implement joint defense industry projects and enter markets in Africa and the Persian Gulf.
Abdulrahman Sadikhli2 min read
Turkish defense company Machinery and Chemical Industry (MKE) has officially registered a subsidiary in Cairo named "Zafer" ("Victory"). As reported by MKE CEO Ilhami Keleş on the sidelines of the El Alamein Air Show, the new entity is fully owned by the Turkish side and was established in accordance with Egyptian law to conduct commercial activities and organize joint production.
As part of the cooperation, MKE signed a memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production. The parties agreed on the joint production of energetic materials, explosives, and various types of ammunition. Keleş emphasized that the company views Egypt not just as a sales market, but as a strategic partner with which it plans to integrate Egyptian production facilities with Turkish control systems, turrets, and weapon systems.
A separate area of cooperation is the supply of the TOLGA anti-drone system. According to Keleş, Egypt has already purchased these complexes, marking the first step toward their integration into the country's arsenal. In the future, MKE intends to use the Egyptian site as a base to promote the TOLGA system to markets in Africa and the Persian Gulf.
The head of MKE noted that the company's global strategy is shifting from simple product exports to technology transfer and the creation of joint ventures. "All countries are striving to establish production domestically, so the ability to transfer technology is becoming more important than exporting finished products," he explained.
In addition to Egypt, MKE is actively developing an international network of partnerships. The company is already in the process of creating joint ventures in Canada, plans to discuss investments in the US, and is participating in tenders in Malaysia and Indonesia with a mandatory requirement for localizing production. This model of presence, according to Keleş, has already been successfully implemented by the company in Azerbaijan.
Source: aa.com.tr
