> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.adriadefense.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # PGZ, MKE Partner on Non-Kinetic Air Defense Systems - URL: https://www.adriadefense.com/pgz-mke-partner-on-non-kinetic-air-defense-systems/ - Published: 2026-09-12T07:00:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-12T07:00:57.000Z - Description: Poland's PGZ and Türkiye's MKE will cooperate on SHORAD, VSHORAD and non-kinetic air defense technologies under an agreement signed at MSPO 2026. - Author: AdriaDefense Desk - Tags: Poland, CEE, MKE, Türkiye, Industry, Air Defense, Counter-UAS Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and Türkiye's Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi have agreed to cooperate on short-range and very short-range air defense systems, with a particular focus on non-kinetic technologies. The Polish and Turkish state-owned defense groups signed the memorandum of understanding on September 10 during MSPO 2026 in Kielce, Poland. The agreement covers integration of SHORAD and VSHORAD systems, joint development work and technologies designed to neutralize threats without expending ammunition. The companies also intend to develop solutions for the Polish and Turkish markets and potentially offer them to export customers. The memorandum does not constitute a Polish procurement of a specific MKE air defense system. Instead, it establishes an industrial framework for combining existing capabilities, addressing gaps in current systems and improving interoperability between different air defense components. ## PGZ and MKE focus on non-kinetic air defense The companies plan to combine their existing air defense expertise to develop configurations tailored to different operational requirements. Non-kinetic effectors are a central element of the agreement. Such technologies can complement guns and missiles by engaging certain threats without consuming conventional ammunition, an increasingly relevant requirement as armed forces seek more sustainable methods of countering large numbers of unmanned aerial systems. Neither company has identified the specific non-kinetic effectors that would form part of a future joint system. The agreement also covers integration work across the SHORAD and VSHORAD layers. This creates the possibility of combining sensors, command-and-control elements and different types of effectors rather than developing a single standalone weapon. PGZ said the cooperation would use the competencies of both groups to develop new solutions. The parties also intend to pursue opportunities outside their domestic markets. ## TOLGA gives MKE an existing counter-UAS architecture MKE has linked the Polish agreement to the European expansion of its TOLGA Close-In Air Defence System. TOLGA is designed as a layered counter-unmanned aerial system architecture that can combine sensors with multiple effectors. The system provides MKE with an existing framework into which additional technologies could potentially be integrated. However, neither PGZ nor MKE has announced that Poland will procure TOLGA. The memorandum should instead be viewed as an industrial cooperation framework that could use elements of MKE's existing air defense portfolio while incorporating Polish technologies. The PGZ agreement represents MKE's second European country-level cooperation associated with TOLGA. Earlier in 2026, MKE signed a memorandum with Hungary-based HT Division covering integration of TOLGA onto unmanned ground platforms. That cooperation produced an integration of a TOLGA 20 mm weapon system with HT Division's 6x6 KATICA unmanned ground vehicle. The companies presented the integration during Eurosatory 2026 in Paris in June. The Polish agreement therefore expands MKE's European industrial network from Hungary into one of NATO's largest and fastest-growing air defense markets. ## Poland is expanding layered counter-drone defenses The PGZ-MKE agreement comes as Poland continues to expand multiple layers of its air and missile defense architecture. Warsaw has invested heavily in long-range and medium-range systems while simultaneously strengthening lower-tier defenses intended to counter aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial threats. Counter-UAS has become an increasingly important part of that lower layer. The economics of drone warfare have increased demand for alternatives to using comparatively expensive surface-to-air missiles against low-cost unmanned aircraft. Non-kinetic technologies can address part of that problem, particularly when used alongside electronic surveillance, command-and-control networks and kinetic effectors. Their effectiveness varies according to the target, guidance method and electronic environment, which makes layered architectures increasingly important. The PGZ-MKE memorandum is therefore notable less as a single-system deal than as an effort to combine Polish and Turkish technologies across multiple engagement methods. For PGZ, the cooperation could add Turkish technologies to a domestic industrial base already involved in several Polish air defense programs. For MKE, Poland provides access to a major NATO defense market while creating another European integration pathway for technologies associated with its TOLGA architecture. ## Polish-Turkish cooperation targets export markets The agreement goes beyond the requirements of the Polish and Turkish armed forces. PGZ and MKE have explicitly included potential export markets within the scope of their cooperation. That could allow future jointly developed configurations to compete for requirements from countries seeking layered counter-UAS and short-range air defense systems. The industrial relationship also reflects broader defense ties between Poland and Türkiye, two NATO members that have expanded their domestic defense industries while pursuing increasingly independent production and export strategies. The next step will be converting the memorandum into defined projects. No development budget, procurement quantity or schedule for a joint system has been announced. The significance of the agreement will therefore depend on which PGZ and MKE technologies are selected for integration and whether the companies move from the current framework into prototypes, testing and procurement. --- ## PGZ-MKE air defense agreement: key questions ### What did PGZ and MKE sign at MSPO 2026? Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi signed a memorandum of understanding covering cooperation on SHORAD and VSHORAD systems. The agreement includes system integration, development of new solutions and a particular focus on non-kinetic technologies. ### Is Poland buying the MKE TOLGA air defense system? No TOLGA procurement has been announced. MKE has connected the PGZ memorandum with the expansion of its TOLGA cooperation network in Europe, but the agreement establishes a broader industrial framework rather than a Polish purchase of the system. ### What are non-kinetic air defense systems? Non-kinetic systems attempt to neutralize or disrupt a threat without conventional ammunition. In counter-UAS applications, this category can include electronic warfare and other technologies intended to disrupt or disable unmanned systems. ### Will PGZ and MKE export jointly developed systems? The memorandum explicitly covers potential export markets in addition to Poland and Türkiye. No specific export customer or joint product has yet been announced.