MKEK Displayed the Scale Model of Its 76mm Naval Gun at the AE-2021/2 Turkish Defense Industry Exhibition
Within the scope of the 44th Anatolian Eagle Training AE-2021/2 Exercise, which was held at the 3rd Main Jet Base between June 21 - July 02, 2021, Turkish Defense Industry companies such as MKEK, SDT, and HAVELSAN also had the opportunity to introduce their products to the visitors at the entrance of the Anatolian Eagle Training Center (AKEM/AETC) Main Briefing Hall during the Press Day held on June 30. While MKEK exhibited the 105mm/30 Caliber Lightweight Towed Howitzer BORAN in front of the Anatolian Eagle Training Center building, the company displayed the scale models of the 76mm/62 Caliber Naval Gun and 20mm Close-in Weapon System solutions, which are still under development, at its booth.
The 76mm/62 Caliber Naval Gun, which is expected to begin firing tests in July/August 2021, is being developed by the Main Contractor MKEK with the support of 3 private sector companies. According to the information I received, MKEK is responsible for producing the barrel and barrel jacket as the Main Contractor, while private companies are responsible for the development and production of the gun mechanism and control systems. It is claimed that the development process of the locally designed and produced 76mm Naval Gun, which will replace the Leonardo 76/62 Compact Naval Guns used by the Turkish Naval Forces (TNFC) for many years, was started due to the Italian company's very high price demand and long delivery schedule. It is even said that this long delivery schedule also affected the PN-MİLGEM Project.
It is stated that compared to the Italian product, the domestic 76mm/62 Naval Gun stands out with its features, such as firing a wider variety of ammunition with special fuses and its electro-mechanical structure that allows for digital control. Since the domestic 76mm/62 Naval Gun is desired to be fully servo-controlled, the system has been designed to have both servo and hydraulic control capability (hybrid control). In this way, every function of the gun can be controlled from a single point via the operator console in the Combat Information Center (CIC) on the ship, and the system will be monitored instantly via this console. In order for the gun to function in harsh climatic conditions without any problems, a number of special requirements have been defined, such as the anti-icing system and replaceable barrel jacket water cooling mechanism, which foreign products do not have. In parallel with the 76mm/62 Naval Gun, it is also stated that the project team (MKEK and three private sector companies) is working on the localization of 30 40L70 Twin Compact Gun Systems, which are still used on Turkish Navy and Coast Guard platforms (9 KILIÇ-I/II, 16+1 Tuzla Class Patrol Boats and 4 Coast Guard Search and Rescue Ships). Within the scope of the New Type Patrol Boat Program (YTKB) of the Turkish Naval Forces, a contract worth €53 Million was signed in September 2007 between the Main Contractor Dearsan and Oto Melara Company (now Leonardo) for the supply of 16 40L70 Twin Compact Gun systems (double-barreled, 600 shots per minute).
Within the scope of offset obligations of the 40L70 Twin Compact order, Leonardo cooperated with MKEK and supplied 15 sets of barrel and barrel jackets for 76mm/62 guns. Under the agreement, MKEK made the semi-processing of barrel and barrel jackets for 76mm/62 Naval Guns at the MKE Heavy Weapons and Steel Factory, and these barrels and jackets were then processed at Leonardo's facilities in La Spezia and exported abroad. The company was very satisfied with the performance and craftsmanship of MKEK. Planning to purchase three gun barrels and two barrel jackets in 2009, and 14 barrels and 4 barrel jackets between 2010-2029, the Turkish Navy also signed a contract with MKEK in December 2009 (contract no 2009/123) for the first batch of 3 guns and 2 barrel jackets.
The barrel of the 76mm Compact and Super Rapid Naval Gun, which is defined as a true mechanical marvel, is first cooled with seawater after rapid firing (at least five rounds) and then cleaned with fresh water. The part between the outer part of the barrel and the inner part is called the barrel jacket. After firing, the barrel jacket is cooled by the sprinkler mechanism located at the tip of the barrel. The Gun has an unmanned turret, and the ammunition is fed automatically from a revolving magazine under the deck with the help of an autoloader. The turret (gun house) is controlled remotely via the Operator Console in the ship's CIC. The 76mm shell consists of two parts, the cartridge (casing) and the core. After every shot, the empty shell casing is ejected from the turret onto the deck through an evacuation door on the front of the turret located just below the barrel. The average barrel life of the 76mm gun varies between 1,200 and 1,700 rounds, depending on usage. However, it is claimed that this figure can reach up to 2,500 shots thanks to new barrel coating technologies. It is claimed that MKEK now uses boron nitride coating instead of chrome coating, thus increasing the barrel life. However, as of June 2021, there is no concrete data on applying this technique to the 76mm gun barrels in open sources.
While no information regarding the 76mm/62 Naval Gun Project is mentioned in the MKEK 2019 Annual Report, the company's 2020 Annual Report included an image of the 76mm/62 Naval Gun with the statement, "We have reached the final stage in the development of the 76mm/62 Naval Gun, which is the main striking power of our national warship MİLGEM."
The president & CEO of MKEK Yasin AKDERE informed the Minister of National Defense Hulusi AKAR, who visited the MKEK Barutsan Rocket and Explosive Factory on March 19, 2021, and stated that the 76mm/62 Naval Gun could be delivered within six months. President AKDERE shared important information about the Project on June 23, 2021, at the “Çorum Defense Industry Meeting” panel organized by SAHA Istanbul and the Çorum Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Explaining that approximately 6,500 personnel currently work in MKEK, AKDERE noted that they have 478 main products, 62% of which are domestic production and 32% are supplied from other domestic companies (according to the 2020 Annual Report, as of the end of 2020, there were a total of 5,355 employees, including 196 civil servants, 2,238 contractors, and 2,921 workers). In his speech, AKDERE shared clues about why the project was started by stating that an allied country (Italy) sells the 76mm Naval Gun for €8.2 Million and gives a delivery date of 24 months, but when the delivery day came, they would not deliver the gun to the customer due to the EU embargo, even if the money was paid. AKDERE said, "We have completed an R&D study in 12 months, which would normally be completed in 72 months. We are currently in the assembly phase, and we will begin firing tests in July. We will be able to produce the Naval Gun that our Navy needs very soon." AKDERE reminded that when the project started to mature (in the fourth or fifth month), the manufacturer company increased its lobbying activities in Turkey and offered to sell the gun for €5.1 Million, not €8.2 Million, together with the training ammunition. AKDERE told the Ministry of National Defense that they could produce the 76mm/62 Naval Gun for €4.7 Million, and the Ministry replied that even if it costs €14.7 Million, they want the gun to be produced locally.
The technical specifications of the 76mm/62 Naval Gun according to the Product Brochure:
• Range: 16km
• Barrel Diameter: 76mm
• Barrel Length: 4.700mm (62 calibers)
• Water-cooled gun barrel
• Rate of Fire: Max. 80 rounds/min.
• Weight: 7.500kg (without ammunition), 8.500kg (with ammunition)
• Ammunition Capacity: Revolving magazine feeding system with a capacity of 70 rounds.
In the light of this information, it can be said that the MKEK Naval Gun has similar technical characteristics with the Leonardo product 76mm/62 Compact Naval Gun, which was designed in the mid-1960s and entered service on Audace Class Destroyers for the first time in 1972. The empty weight of the Leonardo 76/62 Compact Naval Gun is 7.500kg, the barrel length is 4.700mm, the firing rate is 85 rounds/min, and the ammunition capacity is 80 rounds. The Leonard 76/62 Super Rapid Naval Gun, which entered service in the second half of the 1980s, has a rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute, an empty weight of 7.900 kg, and the ammunition capacity is 80 rounds. (Until today, the Turkish Naval Forces persistently procured the 76/62 Compact Gun, which is nearing the end of its serial production phase, and finally chose the Super Rapid for the I-Class Frigates for the first time). The Super Rapid Naval Gun can reach a range of 16km with standard ammunition, 20km with extended range ammunition, and 40km with the guided Vulcano Smart Ammunition (It reaches 20km in 41 seconds, and 40km in 120 seconds, while the standard unguided 76mm round can only reach 5km in 41 seconds). Currently, 32 surface platforms in the Turkish Navy service use 76mm/62 Compact Naval Gun, including 4 ADA Class Corvettes, 8 Gabya Class Frigates (manufactured under license from the USA, coded as Mk-75), 19 Fast Attac Crafts (Doğan, Rüzgar, Yıldız, KILIÇ-I, and KILIÇ-II) and 1 Burak Class corvette. In addition, the Navy purchased four second-hand 76mm/62 Compact from Denmark and Sweden and one Mk-75 from Australia in the past years
