SAR9 METE Pistol: Türkiye’s ÖYTG Service Pistol and the New METE CE Explained

Quick answer: The SAR9 METE is the 9×19 mm service pistol that Sarsılmaz designed and produced under the Indigenous Pistol Development project (Özgün Yerli Tabanca Geliştirme, ÖYTG), launched by Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB). Sarsılmaz’s data sheet lists a 113.5 mm barrel, a weight of 650 g without a magazine and trigger, firing-pin and drop safeties. In March 2020 the SSB reported more than 200,000 METE pistols delivered by Sarsılmaz and Samsun Yurt Savunma combined. Its successor, the SAR9 METE CE, is to become the issue sidearm for newly commissioned Turkish Armed Forces officers and NCOs.

“METE” is the name of a Turkish government programme as much as a pistol. Two companies built pistols under it: Sarsılmaz with the SAR9 METE and Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS, the maker of CANiK pistols) with the TP9 SF METE. This guide covers the Sarsılmaz pistol: how the programme worked, what the manufacturer’s data sheet says, which institutions received it and how the 2026 SAR9 METE CE differs. For the wider SAR9 family, see our SAR9 pistol guide. For the two companies side by side, see Sarsılmaz vs Canik.

Defense and Tech graphic comparing the official specifications of the Sarsılmaz SAR9 METE and SAR9 METE CE service pistols — SAR9 METE and SAR9 METE CE official data compared. Graphic: Defense and Tech; data: Sarsılmaz.

Development and background

The SSB ran the ÖYTG project to give the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Turkish National Police a domestically designed duty pistol. Rather than choose a single winner, the agency placed contracts with two manufacturers. According to Defence Turkey’s account of the contracts, Sarsılmaz’s initial order covered 110,242 SAR 9 METE pistols for the Land Forces, the Naval Forces, the Coast Guard and the General Directorate of Security. A follow-on contract raised Sarsılmaz’s total to more than 180,000 pistols.

On 15 March 2020 the SSB said on its official social media account that more than 200,000 METE pistols from Sarsılmaz and SYS had been delivered. It added that more than 280,000 pistols would be produced under the project: over 180,000 by Sarsılmaz and 100,000 by SYS. These are programme figures from the agency. They are not annual production figures for either company, and the 200,000 figure is a combined total for both suppliers.

Sarsılmaz’s product page describes the METE as designed under the ÖYTG project and calls it Türkiye’s first indigenous duty pistol. Defence Turkey also reported that Sarsılmaz separately won a National Police tender for 40,000 SAR 9 pistols, outside the ÖYTG quantities.

The service record includes one public correction. In July 2021 TURDEF reported that the Land Forces and Sarsılmaz had announced a replacement rear slide cover plate for SAR9 METE pistols in service, after a broken cover injured a police officer during training. The report described the change as a design improvement applied to issued pistols.

Design and features

The METE uses the SAR9 layout: a polymer frame, a striker-fired action and a 9×19 mm chamber. The figures below come from Sarsılmaz’s SAR9 METE “Type B” data sheet (revision 0, 23 November 2023), the version listed on the company’s English product page.

Specification (manufacturer data)	SAR9 METE (Type B)
Calibre	9×19 mm
Operation	Semi-automatic
Safety system	Trigger, firing-pin and drop safeties
Magazine capacity	10 / 15 / 17 / 19 / 21 rounds
Barrel length	113.5 mm
Trigger pull	15–25 N
Overall length	193 mm
Height / width	140 mm / 33 mm
Slide length	185.5 mm
Sight radius	166 mm
Weight without magazine	650 g
Weight with empty magazine	735 g
Features	S-M-L backstraps and side panels, Picatinny rail, polymer frame

Dimensions are given with a 17-round magazine. The product page lists capacities up to 19 rounds, while the data sheet adds a 21-round option.

The “Type B” label matters. Defence Turkey’s report describes the METE pistols supplied by SYS in two types: Type A with a manual safety and Type B without. Sarsılmaz’s sheet carries the same Type B label and lists no manual safety. The English product page text does mention a safety catch, so the company’s own materials are not fully consistent. We follow the data sheet.

Compared with the original commercial SAR9, the METE has essentially the same barrel, length and sight radius. The Type B sheet gives a lower unloaded weight (650 g against 730 g for the original SAR9) and a slimmer overall width (33 mm). Sarsılmaz does not publish an explanation for these differences.

The SAR9 METE CE

On 30 September 2026 Anadolu Agency reported that the SAR9 METE CE will become the beylik tabancası, the pistol issued by the state to TAF officers and NCOs when they begin service. AA described it as a new-generation duty pistol designed and produced by Sarsılmaz within the ÖYTG framework. It said the pistol has a 30,000-round service life and was tested for water, sand, dust and temperature. AA also said Sarsılmaz will make what it called the highest-quantity shipment of recent times to the TAF. The agency did not give a number.

Sarsılmaz’s delivery announcement, carried by DefenceTurk on 1 October 2026, said a high-volume delivery to the Ministry of National Defence had been completed. The company’s figures for the METE CE are as follows:

Specification (company release)	SAR9 METE CE
Calibre	9×19 mm
Barrel length	108.5 mm
Weight without magazine	660 g
Safety system	Manual safety, trigger, firing-pin and drop safeties
Ergonomics	S-M-L backstraps and side panels, ambidextrous design
Rail	Picatinny
Stated service life	30,000 rounds

The METE CE therefore differs from the METE Type B on paper. It has a shorter barrel (108.5 mm against 113.5 mm) and a manual safety, and the company describes its controls as ambidextrous. The METE CE first appeared publicly at IDEF 2025, according to Sarsılmaz’s fair announcement. At the time of writing, no METE CE technical data sheet was available on the Sarsılmaz website, so dimensions and capacity are not given here. The contract quantity and value have not been published, so we do not estimate them.

International context

Countries with their own small-arms industries usually arm their forces with locally made pistols, and ÖYTG was Türkiye’s move in that direction. Its distinctive feature was splitting production between two national suppliers. METE carried the programme name rather than a single company’s brand.

For export customers, the METE name stays largely Turkish. The SAR9 sold abroad, including through SAR USA, is the commercial family described in our SAR9 Gen3 guide.

Confirmed users and markets

User	Basis	Status
Turkish Land Forces, Naval Forces, Coast Guard	SSB/ÖYTG contract as reported by Defence Turkey	Delivered (combined total of more than 200,000 METE pistols from both suppliers by March 2020)
Turkish National Police (EGM)	ÖYTG contract; separate 40,000 SAR 9 tender (Defence Turkey)	Delivered
Gendarmerie	Listed as a user on the Sarsılmaz product page	Company statement
TAF officers and NCOs (METE CE)	AA, 30 Sep 2026; company delivery release	Delivery announced; quantity not published

No export customer for the METE variant has been confirmed. The “Turkish police” and “Turkish army” pistol questions also involve the CANiK TP9 SF METE, which was delivered under the same programme.

What makes it notable?

The METE gave Türkiye a domestically designed service pistol in large numbers within a few years. By the SSB’s own count, deliveries passed 200,000 by March 2020. The programme also shaped both Turkish pistol makers: Sarsılmaz and SYS each now market pistols built on that experience. With the METE CE becoming the issue pistol for new officers, the line remains in production for the TAF rather than ending with the original contracts. One question is still unanswered: neither the SSB nor the company has published how many METE CE pistols are covered by the latest order.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAR9 METE?

It is Sarsılmaz’s 9×19 mm duty pistol built under the SSB’s Indigenous Pistol Development (ÖYTG) project for the Turkish Armed Forces and security forces.

Does the SAR9 METE have a manual safety?

Sarsılmaz’s METE Type B data sheet lists trigger, firing-pin and drop safeties but no manual safety. The newer SAR9 METE CE adds a manual safety, according to the company.

How many METE pistols were delivered?

The SSB said in March 2020 that more than 200,000 METE pistols from Sarsılmaz and SYS combined had been delivered, out of more than 280,000 planned.

What is the difference between the SAR9 METE and the SAR9 METE CE?

According to Sarsılmaz, the METE CE has a 108.5 mm barrel (113.5 mm on the METE), weighs 660 g without a magazine, adds a manual safety and is ambidextrous. It is the new issue pistol for TAF officers and NCOs.