Navy to get 2nd local warship in September

Cengizhan Çatal Hürriyet

Among the eight corvettes of the Milgem project, the TCG Heybeliada has already been constructed and the Büyükada has been put to sea. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

Turkey’s second national warship, Büyükada, is planned to be submitted to the Turkish navy in September as part of the national warship (MİLGEM) project.

The warship is the end product of cooperative works of more than 40 local firms and organizations, including Aselsan, Havelsan and TÜBİTAK (the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey).

Büyükada is invisible to radar thanks to a series of fairly developed electronic systems and its special design.
According to the sources, MİLGEM warships are known as “ghost ships” as the radar cross-sections of these ships are low. The warships under the umbrella of MİLGEM project are designed to be used for deterrence, constant patrolling and observation, monitoring and preventing marine terrorist activities, submarine defense, surface warfare and air defense.

MİLGEM warships are designed, built and integrated by only local means by the Turkish Naval Forces in accordance with all national and international military standards. It was learned from various sources that a foreign firm paid $500 million for the production of one warship. Turkey however appeared to produce one such warship for not more than $260 million.

A previous MİLGEM warship, Heybeliada, was submitted to the naval forces in 2011. The MİLGEM project was first born in 1993 as a concept, that was then realized in the following two decades. Turkey is now one of the 10 countries that can make their own warships.

Turkey’s defense Industry Executive Committee, has been begun talks on January with Koç Holding’s enterprise RMK Marine for the construction of six corvettes for navy as part of the Milgem project. Corvettes are the smallest warships in the inventory of the Turkish Navy, as the country has no ocean coasts.