On Jan. 19, 2024 the Turkish navy officially took delivery of the TCG Istanbul, a domestically produced frigate. (STM handout)
BEIRUT — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on hand at a ceremony today as the Turkish navy took delivery of four locally made ships, including the service’s first indigenous frigate.
“Our naval strength is increasing with our ships. I wholeheartedly believe that we will achieve new successes in the coming period,” Erdogan reportedly said at the delivery ceremony held at Sefine Shipyard.
The new ships are the frigate TCG Istanbul (F-515), cargo ship TCG Derya, Logistics Support Ship TCG Lt. Arif Ekmekçi, as well as armed unmanned surface vessel MARLIN, according to a shipbuilder STM. STM especially lauded the frigate, saying work on it was 80 percent localized.
“TCG Istanbul, MİLGEM İstif-Class Frigates have taken their place among the five most advanced frigates in the world thanks to their design and technologies,” said Ozgur Guleryuz, general manager of STM in a statement. “The targeted localisation rate for the Istanbul Frigate was 75 percent — a figure that we managed to increase to 80 percent through our efforts under the leadership of the SSB, and TCG İSTANBUL has thus taken the crown as the warship with the highest localisation rate in Türkiye.”
He added that the national frigate is equipped with local electronic warfare systems, combat management system and air-guided projectile.
“The frigate is equipped with advanced indigenously built systems, such as Havelsan’s Advent battle management system, MIDLAS vertical launcher system, and CENK-S AESA radar system manufactured by Aselsan,” Can Kasapoglu, director of defense research at the Istanbul-based Edam think tank, told Breaking Defense.
He said that Turkey already has shipbuilding infrastructure, which is critical, “but equipping the ship with such systems is another achievement.”
The unmanned Marlin was officially delivered today, but has some experience on the water already, having participated in NATO exercises. Last year the 15-meter vessel, developed by Turkish defense giant Aselsan and the Sefine Shipyard, reportedly test-fired a Turkish-made guided missile.
Turkey has been boosting its local defense production lately targeting full defense independence. “I’d say it is getting there but not there yet. The submarine segment, above all, is still dependent on foreign collaboration,” Kasapoglu noted.
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