Turkish Navy Begins Building Three New Warships

Key Takeaways

The Turkish navy has initiated construction of a submarine, aircraft carrier, and air-defense destroyer, enhancing domestic shipbuilding capabilities.
The National Submarine (MİLDEN) is a diesel-electric vessel with advanced propulsion and weapon systems, while the TF-2000 destroyer will focus on missile defense.
The National Aircraft Carrier (MUGEN) will be Turkey’s largest warship, designed for short take-off and landing operations with advanced features for modern naval warfare.

Turkish Navy Expands Domestic Warship Capabilities

The Turkish navy has announced the construction of three significant warships as it kicks off the new year. This includes a domestically designed submarine, an aircraft carrier, and the lead ship of the upcoming TF-2000 air-defense destroyer series. These developments align with Turkey’s aspirations for enhanced political and naval influence, focusing on strengthening its long-range strike capabilities while promoting local shipbuilding.

As of now, a total of 31 naval ships are under construction in Turkey, indicating a strong commitment to developing indigenous military technology rather than relying on imports. One of the highlighted projects, the National Submarine (MİLDEN), marks a significant step forward for the Turkish Navy, with the first welding completed at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard. Due to the sensitive nature of submarine operations, detailed specifications remain limited, but reports indicate that the MİLDEN will be a diesel-electric vessel with a displacement around 2,700 tons and an advanced Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, enabling greater submerged endurance than current submarines. It is also expected to feature domestically produced weapons and systems for a balanced payload capacity.

The surface vessels project recently took a step further with the inaugural steel cutting ceremonies for the destroyers held in Istanbul. The TF-2000 destroyers, conceived in 2017, are designed to detect and neutralize guided and ballistic missile threats while maintaining traditional naval combat abilities. The latest ship configuration boasts a length of 149 meters, width of 21.3 meters, and a displacement of approximately 8,300 tons, proving formidable in both size and capability. The destroyers will be powered by a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion system to achieve speeds exceeding 26 knots. Armament includes a 127mm main gun and a mixed air defense system with 96 vertical launch system (VLS) cells adapted for Turkey’s own missile systems.

The forthcoming National Aircraft Carrier (MUGEN) represents a landmark upgrade for Turkey, with specifications revealing a size of 285 meters in length and a displacement of 60,000 tons, more than double the size of the current flagship, TCG Anadolu. The MUGEN will utilize a short take-off and barrier arrest recovery (STOBAR) framework, featuring a ski jump to facilitate launching various aircraft, including the TB-3 UCAV combat drone and the Hürjet manned aircraft. The design emphasizes modern naval warfare readiness with an angled deck for landings and multiple arresting wires for efficient recovery operations.

Overall, these projects reflect Turkey’s substantial progress in developing a self-sufficient defense industry capable of meeting modern maritime challenges through advanced technology and indigenous manufacturing.

The content above is a summary. For more details, see the source article.