Albania has become the third country in the world to buy Turkey’s domestically built BORAN howitzer, signing a contract with Turkish state manufacturer MKE just days before NATO leaders gather in Ankara for this year’s summit, defense outlet Ulusavunma reported.
The deal covers six BORAN 105mm towed howitzers along with an undisclosed quantity of ammunition, and it makes Albania the second European nation to add the system to its arsenal, following North Macedonia’s purchase in 2025, while Bangladesh remains the howitzer’s first export customer after receiving its initial batch in 2024, a sale that itself marked the first howitzer export in the history of the modern Turkish Republic.
BORAN is a light, towed artillery piece built specifically for units that need serious firepower without the weight and logistical burden of heavier guns, weighing roughly 1,745 kilograms (3,847 pounds) including its full fire control system, light enough that Turkey’s own Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters can lift it into position rather than requiring a truck convoy to haul it overland. That air-mobility feature matters directly to how commando and rapid-reaction units operate, since a howitzer that can be slung beneath a helicopter and dropped into a forward position within minutes gives infantry supporting fire options that a slower-moving convoy simply cannot match, particularly in mountainous or hard-to-access terrain like much of Albania’s own countryside.
