Sarsılmaz, one of Türkiye’s long-established firearms manufacturers, has achieved a notable success in the U.S. law enforcement market. The company’s SAR 109T submachine gun has entered the operational inventory of the Doral Miami-Dade County Police Department in Florida. With this development, SAR 109T became the first Turkish submachine gun to be used by a police department in the United States.

Doral, located in South Florida, is known as an area with significant commercial and diplomatic activity. This increases the need for reliable equipment and rapid response capabilities among local police units. The inclusion of SAR 109T in the department’s inventory shows that Turkish-made small arms are being preferred not only in Türkiye, but also in one of the world’s most competitive security markets.

SAR 109T was developed as a compact and modular submachine gun platform using 9x19 mm ammunition. Designed with AR-style ergonomics, the system offers fast handling, controllable fire and the ability to integrate mission-specific accessories. Its compact structure provides major advantages for tactical teams operating in urban environments, vehicle-based missions and confined spaces.

According to Sarsılmaz, the Doral Miami-Dade County Police Department has also evaluated the SAR9 Gen 3 Frontline series alongside the SAR 109T. Within this scope, SAR9 SOCOM Compact, SAR9 Full Size and SAR9 Gen 3 Frontline models were tested for law enforcement requirements. The Frontline series stands out with mission-oriented features such as tritium night sights, optic-ready slide design, enlarged magazine well and increased magazine capacity.

The entry of SAR 109T into the operational inventory of a U.S. police department is considered a development with both symbolic and commercial value for the Turkish small arms industry. The U.S. market is regarded as one of the most challenging markets in the world due to its standards, user expectations, level of competition and reference value. Therefore, the selection of a Turkish-made submachine gun by an American law enforcement agency demonstrates the international acceptance of Sarsılmaz’s engineering, production quality and reliability.

This achievement also reflects the growing diversity of Türkiye’s defense industry exports. In recent years, the Turkish defense industry has gained global visibility with UAVs, UCAVs, armored vehicles, missiles, electronic systems and naval platforms. However, Turkish companies also continue to offer competitive solutions in the small arms segment. SAR 109T’s entry into U.S. police inventory shows that Türkiye is strengthening its position not only in major defense platforms, but also in mission-oriented individual weapon systems.