Private sector companies have started to deliver the National Infantry Rifle (MPT-76) as part of the project to equip security forces with domestically produced arms. In the project, coordinated by the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), prototypes of the MPT-76, developed to meet the infantry rifle requirement of the Land Forces Command, were initially produced by the state-run Mechanical and Chemical İndustry Corporation (MKEK) in 2014.
The mass production of 20,000 units of MPT-76 by MKEK was previously ordered and has been followed by private defense companies Kale Kalıp with 15,000 and Sarsılmaz with 10,000. Kale Kalıp delivered approximately 500 rifles to the SSM in the first delivery, putting more than 1000 rifles into use this week, thus reaching about 1,500 units.
Making the first deliveries, MKEK has delivered more than 16,000 MPT-76s to the security forces to date. The institution will deliver about 4,000 more rifles this month, thus completing the first order of 20,000 units.
MKEK is expected to produce 26,500 MPT-76s and 15,000 MPT-55s in the upcoming period.
With these developments in mass production and delivery, the number of MPT-76s in the security forces' inventory at the end of the month will reach 21,500.
Completely produced by national facilities without using technical support from abroad, the MPT-76 has passed all the toughest NATO-standard tests such as cold and hot air, sand, rain and mud without errors.
Since entering the inventory, the MPT-76, tested by more than 1.5 million pieces of casing, has been used by security forces inside and outside of the country.
The effective range of the rifle, weighing 4.1 kilograms, is 600 meters. Using a 7.62 mm caliber bullet, the MPT-76 has a barrel life of up to 12,000 shots.
The rifle can be fired semi-automatically and automatically, with a 20-bullet magazine capacity. The MPT-76 can be customized through its rail system, meaning it is compatible with accessories - including a night vision riflescope - that can be added or removed as needed.
