Turkish award-winning arms maker CANiK to open factory in US

Turkish defense company Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS), which took to the global stage with its brand CANiK, one of the world’s leading light weapons manufacturers, will open a new weapons factory in the United States, as early as February 2023, according to the company’s officials.

Utku Aral, SYS’ general manager said that construction of the weapons factory located in the U.S. state of Florida will be completed in February 2023, while the machinery will be settled in March, and production is set to start in the second quarter.

Speaking on the construction and production capacity of the factory Aral noted that it was planned to increase the total monthly production capacity to 8,000 units in the first stage and then to 15,000 per month gradually in 2023.

“When the three-shift, 24-hour working tempo is reached, we will have a monthly capacity of 25,000 units,” he said.

All raw materials used for the weapons will be imported from Türkiye, while only micro-compact products will be produced within the factory, as they can’t be imported to the U.S., the company official said.

The U.S. market is the biggest market for leading arms manufacturers all over the world, which makes the country valuable market for CANiK which can address to variety of users.

Aral also said that thanks to the new U.S.-based factory, they will have a bid in major U.S. tenders, such as U.S. Customs and Border Security, which they “won in performance and price scoring in 2018 but lost due to not having U.S. production.”

Stating that the investment they made in the U.S. is very important for the company since it is an integrated facility investment, Aral said, “With this project, we will be able to do in the U.S. exactly what we are doing in Türkiye today.”

CANiK, an already appreciated brand in the U.S. market, has this year received the “Pistol of the Year Award” with its SFx RIVAL at the Industry Choice Awards-ICA 2022, considered one of the most important awards of the weapons industry in the country.

This year marks the fourth time that CANiK has succeeded in receiving this award in the last six years.