Kosovo’s acting Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci announced on the program #KallxoPërnime that the country’s new ammunition factory is expected to become operational no later than the end of 2026.
Maqedonci confirmed that Kosovo has reached an agreement with the Turkish contractor responsible for the project. “We have an assessment and agreement with the Turkish manufacturer that this factory will be operational no later than the end of 2026. Kosovo will begin producing ammunition. The machinery is currently being produced in Turkey, and the construction of the facility will not take long,” he stated.
The factory will be located in the Gjakova region, and will be managed by a state-owned company under the oversight of the Ministry of Defense. It will produce ammunition to NATO standards, for both domestic use and export. Maqedonci added that the facility is part of a broader defense industrial zone, which will include other production facilities.
The project follows decisions made by Prime Minister Albin Kurti on 27 November 2024, when he established an Inter-Ministerial Commission to evaluate and begin procedures for opening the ammunition factory and laboratories for drone design. Kurti emphasized the need to ensure the sustainability and operational readiness of Kosovo’s armed forces, saying, “An army that has been equipped so rapidly needs to secure and guarantee full operational capacity and overall resilience. Today, we take the first steps to establish a domestic military industry.”
On 16 December 2025, Kosovo signed a contract with the Turkish defense company MKE for the production of the factory machinery.
The 2025 defense budget for Kosovo amounts to €207.8 million, an increase of €54 million compared to 2024.
