Workers and heavy machinery have arrived at the site in Jahoc, Gjakova, where land is being prepared for Kosovo’s first ammunition factory. The initial work marks the start of one of the country’s most significant defense industry projects.
The Ministry of Defense aims to produce the first test ammunition marked “Made in Kosova” before the end of this year. Security experts, however, doubt whether that goal can be met within the announced timeframe.
Të lidhura
None found
In a response to RTK, the Ministry of Defense said work is progressing according to schedule and in line with its agreement with MKE, the Turkish state-owned company.
The ministry’s chief of staff, Liridona Gashi, said the project is underway and proceeding in accordance with the agreement with MKE. She said the schedule calls for the first test production of “Made in Kosova” ammunition by the end of this year.
Gashi also explained that the investment goes beyond building a factory: it calls for an industrial ammunition-production complex with supporting infrastructure, testing and calibration laboratories, warehouses and other facilities needed for its operation.
Completing the building alone, however, will not be enough to make the complex operational. A legal framework and the completion of administrative procedures are needed, alongside the installation of technology, staff training and compliance with safety standards. These requirements are precisely why experts doubt that test production will begin on time.
Hysen Gecaj, a security expert, considers it impossible to begin producing ammunition in such a short period. Disputing the feasibility of meeting the year-end deadline, he noted that Kosovo’s Assembly has yet to pass a law on military ammunition.
Arben Dashevci, also a security expert, sees the delays as linked to administrative and legal matters that Kosovo and Turkey still need to resolve. He bases that assessment on the nature of the partnership between Kosovo and the Republic of Turkey, which involves a major ammunition-production factory.
Preparations for the complex have not been limited to construction. Several months ago, the Ministry of Defense also opened recruitment procedures for employees who will work there.
As part of preparations to make the factory operational, the recruitment drive covered various jobs and specialized roles in several professional fields.
December will mark two years since the Kosovo government signed an agreement with MKE, Turkey’s state-owned defense industry manufacturer, to establish the ammunition factory in Kosovo. At the time, it was said that ammunition production in Kosovo would begin at the end of December. Two years later, it remains unclear whether the first “Made in Kosova” ammunition will be produced this year or whether production will begin after the announced deadline.
