The Turkish navy has acquired four new ships including the frigate TCG Istanbul, which, according to manufacturer STM, was 80 percent locally made. The other new vessels are the cargo ship TCG Derya, the logistics support ship TCG Lt. Arif Ekmekçi and the armed unmanned surface vessel Marlin.
The navy commissioned the ships in a ceremony at the Sefine Shipyard on Friday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in attendance. In his speech, Erdogan cited the shipbuilding projects for being “able to produce the sensors, payloads, weapons and ammunition needed in all ships built locally and domestically,” Naval News reported.
According to STM General Manager Ozgur Guleryuz, the TCG Istanbul warship has Turkey’s highest localization rate and features local electronic warfare and battle management systems.
In addition to TCG Istanbul, STM and TAIS Shipyards signed a partnership agreement with the Turkish Defence Agency in April to build three I-class vessels for the navy.
Turkish defense contractor Aselsan and Sefine Shipyard developed the 15-meter Marlin USV, which has already participated in NATO exercises.
Turkey’s naval shipbuilding efforts were also seen in the Turkish defense company Asfat delivering two offshore patrol vessels to the country’s navy in September.