Turkish state-owned defense prime Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE A.Ş.) has officially disclosed the completion of its second turnkey ammunition production facility in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Building upon the operational baseline of its small-arms cartridge facility—which has been active in Jordan since 2024—the new industrial site expands local manufacturing into medium- and large-caliber artillery/mortar munitions as well as general-purpose aerial bombs (MK-80 series) filling and assembly lines. Final operational readiness clearances and cold/hot integration trials are currently underway. The facility forms part of MKE’s broader global technology transfer and turnkey defense infrastructure export portfolio, which encompasses 11 active facility and production line projects across 9 partner nations.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: MKE TURNKEY JORDAN AMMUNITION FACILITY ARCHITECTURE
Industrial Scope, OEM Engineering & Facility Lineage
⚡ Facility Integrator & Prime: Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE A.Ş. — Ankara, Türkiye)
⚡ Host Nation Partner & Customer: Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) / Jordan Design and Development Bureau (JODDB)
⚡ Operational Milestones: Phase 1 Small Arms Ammunition Line operational since 2024; Phase 2 Medium/Heavy Caliber & Bomb Filling Facility completed (late 2026)
⚡ Turnkey Export Baseline: Comprehensive plant engineering, automated filling/assembly lines, quality control labs, technology transfer (ToT), and raw material supply chain integration
⚡ Global Portfolio Scale: 11 active turnkey defense plant projects across 9 international partner countries (including Jordan, Egypt, and NATO/allied nations) 
Production Lines & Ammunition Portfolio
💥 Small-Arms Cartridge Line (Phase 1 — Operational): High-rate production of 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×51mm NATO, and 9×19mm Parabellum small-arms ammunition
💥 Medium-Caliber Shell & Fuze Assembly (Phase 2): Assembly and loading lines for 25mm, 35mm, and 40mm anti-aircraft / autocannon ammunition and 60mm/81mm/120mm mortar rounds
💥 Heavy Artillery Ordnance (Phase 2): Filling and integration infrastructure for 105mm and 155mm (NATO-standard / ERFB) artillery and howitzer projectiles
💥 Aerial Ordnance Filling & Assembly (Phase 2): Specialized melt-pour / cast-cured high-explosive (TNT/Comp-B) filling lines for MK-81 (250 lb), MK-82 (500 lb), MK-83 (1,000 lb), and MK-84 (2,000 lb) general-purpose bombs
Safety, Quality Assurance & Automation Baseline
🚀 Facility Safety Configuration: Remote melt-pour explosive loading bays, blast-resistant containment cells, automated environmental conditioning, and lightning/static protection systems
🚀 Automation & Quality Control: Computerized melt-pour temperature/pressure regulation, X-ray non-destructive testing (NDT) for filler cavity void detection, and automated fuze insertion lines
🚀 Standards Compliance: Full certification under AQAP-2110, TS-EN-ISO 9001:2015, and NATO STANAG ammunition safety and interoperability criteria
TIMES OF DEFENCE ASSESSMENT
MKE’s completion of its second production plant in Jordan marks a major shift in Turkish defense exports: moving from exporting finished weapons and ammunition to exporting entire defense industrial capabilities and turnkey factories.
From a strategic and engineering perspective, this project offers several key advantages:
1. **Strengthening Regional Logistics in the Middle East**: Establishing medium/heavy caliber and aerial bomb filling lines in Jordan provides the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) with a sovereign, domestic ammunition supply chain. This reduces dependence on long maritime or air supply lines during regional crises.
2. **Expanding MKE’s Turnkey Export Model**: Delivering 11 turnkey projects across 9 countries positions MKE as a global provider of defense industrial infrastructure. Similar to its recent creation of the “Zafer” subsidiary in Egypt, MKE’s approach pairs equipment sales with local joint production, establishing long-term revenue streams through raw material sales, spare parts, and technology licensing.
3. **NATO-Standard Ammunition Interoperability**: Equipping the Jordan facility to produce NATO-standard 155mm artillery shells and MK-80 series aerial bombs ensures that Jordanian forces remain fully interoperable with Allied forces while gaining domestic assembly and maintenance capabilities.
