MKE Will Deliver the 76mm/62 National Naval Gun to the Turkish Navy at the end of February 2022!

Developed and produced by the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation with national resources, the integration process of the 76mm 62 caliber National Naval Gun onto a warship with the indigenous Combat Management System (CMS) will begin in the coming days as the final stage of the qualification process. The 76mm/62 National Naval Gun is expected to enter service with the Turkish Naval Forces Command (TFNC) at the end of February 2022, following the firing tests to be carried out at sea. 

The 76mm/62 National Naval Gun, which has a fully digital Fire Control and automation infrastructure, should be tested on a warship with the indigenous Combat Management System (GENESIS or ADVENT CMS) to evaluate its maximum performance. The 76mm/62 National Naval Gun, which was brought to the Istanbul Naval Shipyard from Karapınar, Konya, where the firing tests on land were carried out, will be integrated into the previously selected warship, and then the firing tests will be carried out at sea. MKE President & CEO Yasin AKDERE had previously announced that the integration process of the Naval Gun would take approximately 3-4 weeks.

The 76mm/62 National Naval Gun was developed under the National Naval Gun Project by the Main Contractor MKE and the support of ANZATSAN, ERMAKSAN, and İĞREK Makina, spending approximately 300 man/hours per month. The First Firing Test with the 76mm/62 National Naval Gun, consisting of 16,800 parts, was carried out on November 10, 2021, and the Rapid Firing Test was carried out on December 2, 2021, at the Karapınar Test Range in Konya, with the participation of Minister of National Defense Hulusi AKAR, Chief of General Staff General Yaşar GÜLER and Force Commanders. 

The 76mm/62 National Naval Gun has an effective range of 16 kilometers and a firing rate of 80 rounds per minute with 5 different firing modes. MKE also develops different types of domestic ammunition for the 76mm/62 National Naval Gun. In our interview with MKE President & CEO Yasin AKDERE during the SAHA Expo 2021 Fair, he stated that they carried out R&D studies to localize the 76mm ammunition simultaneously with the development process of the National Naval Gun. In this context, they have developed 76mm directed fragmentation and smart rounds and reached the final stage on GPS and laser-guided ammunition. The 76mm/62 Compact Naval Guns in the inventory can use different types of ammunition such as HE-PD (High Explosive charge/Point Detonating impact fuze), HE-VT (High Explosive charge/Variable Time proximity fuze. The electronic fuze does not require impact to trigger and designed to detonate close to the target. Used against air and small surface targets), and HE-IR (against hostile aircraft or missiles that emit high heat. The fuze detonates when the temperature it detects exceeds a specific value and creates a shrapnel/fragmentation effect).

According to the Product Brochure, the technical specifications of the 76mm/62 National Naval Gun are:

Range: 16km

Barrel Diameter: 76mm

Barrel Length: 4,700mm

Barrel Cooling: Water Jacket Cooling System

Rate of Fire: Max. 80 rounds/min

Weight (empty, without Ammunition): 7,500kg

Weight (with Ammunition): 8,500kg

Currently, the Turkish Navy uses 76/62 Compact Naval Guns on 32 surface platforms, including 1 BURAK Class and 4 ADA Class Corvettes, 8 GABYA Class Frigates (Mk-75 Naval Gun manufactured under license in the USA), and 19 Fast Attack Crafts (DOĞAN, RÜZGAR, YILDIZ, KILIÇ-I, and KILIÇ-II classes). In addition, the Turkish Naval Forces purchased four second-hand 76/62 Compact Naval Guns from Denmark and Sweden (one of them is used on a BURAK Class Corvette) and one Mk-75 Naval Gun from Australia in the past years