Turkish company Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi (MKE) has begun integrating the MKE TOLGA multilayer close-range air defense system onto ships after installing a stabilized version on the TCG Beykoz. The company’s General Manager, İlhami Kılıç, said tests of the twin-barrel version of the 20-millimeter turrets would be conducted the following month, in a move expanding the system’s use from land applications to maritime platforms.
The statements were made during the TEKNOFEST Mavi Vatan event held at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard Command, where MKE displayed a range of its maritime and defense products. The exhibits included the TOLGA system, the MALAMAN smart naval mine, the PİRANA unmanned suicide maritime vehicle, the Denizhan-76 national naval gun, and MKE BALKIN ammunition.
Responding to Small and Slow Threats
According to Kılıç, 20-millimeter turrets were installed on both sides of the ship and will be managed by TOLGA’s radars and command-and-control system. The ship initially received a single-barrel version, while the transition to a twin-barrel version, which will soon undergo testing, is underway.
This configuration is intended to counter threats including suicide drones and suicide unmanned maritime vehicles. Kılıç explained that ship systems normally designed to detect high-speed aerial targets may have difficulty detecting small, slow-moving drones, while small maritime vehicles may not produce a sufficient radar signature to allow them to be tracked and engaged.
What Is Changing in Practice?
The integration of TOLGA on the TCG Beykoz represents a test of a short-range solution designed to fill a gap different from that covered by conventional cruise missile interception systems. According to the company’s description, the system gives the ship a capability directed against low-altitude, small-sized targets, including threats approaching from the air or the sea surface. Kılıç said work had begun with the Turkish Naval Forces, with the possibility of later transferring the system to other ships.
The official also pointed to the possibility of integrating TOLGA onto civilian vessels in the future, although this would require addressing international regulatory restrictions. MKE says that Türkiye’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure is discussing the need to raise the issue with the International Maritime Organization, amid rising insurance costs for ships traveling along routes vulnerable to attacks by drones and unmanned maritime vehicles. This does not mean that integrating the system onto civilian ships is currently available; it remains subject to regulations and approvals.
Other Maritime Products Under Development or Being Introduced
Kılıç stated that the serial-production contract for the MALAMAN smart mine had been signed and that procedures to introduce it into the inventory were ongoing, alongside the development of different versions, including a moored naval mine. He also said that the Denizhan-76 gun had been exported to Romania and Indonesia, and that MKE had begun producing 127-millimeter naval guns, with plans to introduce them on Tepe-class frigates.
As for the PİRANA unmanned maritime vehicle, he said it was capable of conducting operations at a distance of up to 200 nautical miles and could be controlled from unmanned ground or aerial vehicles or from ships. According to the statements, a contract had been signed to introduce two of the systems into the inventory of the Naval Forces, with delivery and testing phases to be completed before final introduction.