MKE’s howitzer, artillery and mortar ammunition family is designed to deliver area suppression, deep-strike capability, close fire support and specialized battlefield effects in conventional warfare environments. These munitions represent a core force multiplier enabling maneuver units to achieve and sustain fire superiority.

Operational Purpose and Role

Howitzer and artillery ammunition, particularly in 105 mm and 155 mm NATO-standard calibers, are designed for long-range indirect fire missions. Target sets include:

• Armored and unarmored vehicles
• Fortifications and defensive positions
• Personnel concentrations
• Command and logistics nodes

Mortar ammunition provides organic, high-angle, rapid-response fire support at battalion and company levels, enabling engagement of defilade and urban targets.

Primary mission profiles include:

• Area suppression and neutralization fire
• Counter-battery missions
• Destruction of entrenched targets
• Smoke screening and illumination support
• Training and live-fire exercises

Doctrine and Concept of Employment

In modern artillery doctrine, ammunition operates as part of an integrated fire ecosystem that includes forward observers, UAVs, target acquisition radars and digital command-and-control networks. MKE ammunition is produced in accordance with NATO ballistic standards, ensuring compatibility with existing artillery and mortar systems.

For example, 155 mm ammunition is compatible with systems such as:

• T-155 Fırtına
• Panter 155 mm

Mortar rounds are designed for use with 60 mm, 81 mm and 120 mm mortar systems within Turkish Armed Forces inventory.

Ammunition Architecture: Projectile – Fuze – Filling Integration

Production is structured around three core segments:

Projectile Body Manufacturing

Forged or precision-machined steel bodies optimized for ballistic stability and fragmentation efficiency.

Fuze Production

Impact, delay, time-setting and other fuze types depending on operational requirements. The fuze determines terminal effect and detonation mode.

Explosive Filling (Imla)

High explosive filling processes are conducted under controlled industrial conditions. The type of explosive composition directly affects lethality and fragmentation characteristics.

Advantages Against Modern Threats

• NATO-standard caliber compatibility
• Sustainable domestic production capacity
• Broad mission-specific ammunition variety
• Unified ecosystem covering combat and training rounds

Limitations

• Conventional ballistic rounds lack the precision of guided artillery munitions
• Larger circular error probable compared to GPS-guided systems
• Limited publicly available information regarding integration of precision guidance kits

Detailed Technical Information

Caliber Range

• 20x102 mm
• 25 mm (including M793 series)
• 35 mm
• 40 mm (low-velocity grenade and air defense types)
• 60 mm mortar
• 81 mm mortar
• 120 mm mortar
• 105 mm artillery
• 155 mm howitzer

Performance (Varies by Caliber)

155 mm Howitzer Ammunition

• Range: Approximately 18–30+ km depending on propellant charge and barrel length
• Variants: HE, smoke, illumination

120 mm Mortar

• Range: Approximately 7–9 km (publicly available averages)
• Types: HE, smoke, illumination

81 mm Mortar

• Range: Approximately 5–6 km

Note: Exact ballistic performance parameters are not fully publicly disclosed and depend on charge configuration and platform.

Guidance and Targeting

Conventional artillery and mortar ammunition operates on a ballistic free-flight principle. There is no publicly confirmed information indicating that standard MKE-produced conventional rounds incorporate active radar or electro-optical seekers.

Ammunition Types

• HE (High Explosive)
• HEI / HEI-T
• TP / TP-T (Training Practice)
• APDS-T (25 mm class)
• Smoke
• Illumination
• Tear gas (40 mm low-velocity systems)

Deployment and Logistics

Ammunition is compatible with tracked, wheeled and towed artillery systems. Storage and transport comply with NATO ammunition safety standards. Personnel requirements depend on the artillery platform rather than the munition itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of MKE howitzer and mortar ammunition?

• They provide indirect fire support to maneuver units, suppress enemy forces, destroy fortified positions and ensure battlefield fire superiority.

What is the range of 155 mm ammunition?

• Depending on propellant configuration and barrel length, approximately 18–30 km or more. Exact performance varies by system configuration.

What targets are they effective against?

• Personnel, light armored vehicles, fortifications, logistics infrastructure and area targets. HE variants generate significant fragmentation effects.

How many targets can be engaged simultaneously?

• Each round affects a single target area, but coordinated battery fire enables simultaneous engagement of multiple target zones.

Are they mobile or fixed?

• The ammunition itself is transportable. Mobility depends on the artillery or mortar platform employed.

What are the equivalents?

Comparable systems include:

• US 155 mm M107 HE
• NATO-standard 120 mm mortar ammunition
• European 155 mm ERFB-type rounds

The key difference lies in domestic production capability, logistical independence and cost efficiency.

Sources

• Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi A.Ş. official publications
• MKE corporate releases and product catalogs
• Public Turkish Armed Forces inventory information
• NATO ammunition standardization references