Turkey successfully test fires new indigenous 76/62mm naval gun

Turkey successfully conducted a second land-based live test-firing of its indigenous 76/62 mm naval gun at the Karapınar shooting range in central Konya province on 2 December, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced.

The latest test follows a first firing on 10 November.

The national 76/62 mm naval gun is being developed jointly by state-owned gun and ammunication manufacturer Machine and Chemical Industry Inc (MKE) and the Shipyards General Directorate in partnership with private sector companies İğrek Makine (Machine), Anzatsan Mühendislik (Engineering), and Ermaksan Teknoloji (Technology).

MKE unveiled the naval gun for the first time at the International Defense Fair (IDEF 21) in Istanbul in August.

In a video message released by Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) on 2 December, Erdoğan said the national naval gun, which was produced in 12 months, has an effective range of 16 km and can fire 80 rounds per minute with five different shooting modes.

“Unlike the systems currently used, the national naval gun is equipped with a digital fire control system developed with domestic and national resources,” he said.

The high costs and hidden embargoes encountered in procurement from abroad would now “become a thing of the past”, he added.