New domestic frigate to be commissioned in a month

ISTANBUL

The Defense Ministry has announced that Türkiye’s indigenous frigate TCG Istanbul will be ready for duty in a month, while also unveiling the country’s largest aircraft carrier project. 

Briefing the press on the project at the Istanbul Shipyard Command on April 24, ministry officials stated that the new frigate has an 80 percent domestic production rate, adding that this will be the first I-class vessel to be produced as part of Türkiye ship project MİLGEM.

It will be performing advanced air defense and surface warfare, submarine defense warfare and patrol activities.

The Turkish defense firms will equip the frigate with indigenous infrared search and tracking systems. The vessel will also feature domestically made guided missiles and anti-torpedo shields.

TCG Istanbul will be the fifth vessel built under the MİLGEM project.

Unlike the first four vessels, the TCG Istanbul, with its distinct capabilities and greater displacement at 113 meters long and 14.4 meters wide, can travel from the Navy Command in Gölcük to New York without refueling.

The MİLGEM project aims at developing a total of 12 multipurpose corvettes and frigates that can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, early warning and anti-submarine warfare.

The officials also unveiled its largest-ever domestic aircraft carrier is expected to exceed the capabilities of the TCG Anadolu, the landing helicopter dock (LHD) and multipurpose amphibious assault ship that was launched last year.

While 70 percent of TCG Anadolu was domestically produced, the goal is to increase this percentage for the new indigenous aircraft carrier designed at the Directorate of Design Project Office (DPO) of the Turkish Naval Forces Command.

The concept design includes plans to deploy indigenous manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, with collaborations underway with leading aviation companies such as Baykar and TUSAŞ.

A 110-member group was formed at DPO with the participation of expert personnel from various units of the Naval Forces for the feasibility study of the new indigenous aircraft carrier.