The ceremony was attended by Major General Abdullah bin Hassan Al SULAİTİ, Commander of the Qatar Navy, Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN, Head President of the Turkish Defense Agency (SSB), and Mr. Aziz YILDIRIM, Chairman of the Board of Directors.
As per a LinkedIn post by the company, the vessels are designed to effectively carry out missions in Asymmetric Warfare, Patrol Missions, Protection of Territorial Waters, Anti-Piracy, Reconnaissance and Surveillance, Search and Rescue, Disaster Relief Operations, Border Control, Base and Port Security. The High-Speed Fast Patrol Boat will be equipped with weapon systems for Surface Warfare, Air Defense Warfare, and Asymmetric Warfare.
Naval News reached out to company officials to learn more about the contract, which involves the procurement of two FAC50 Fast Attack Craft for the Qatari Emiri Naval Force (QENF).
According to Mr. Erkan Yeniçeri, Business Development Manager of Dearsan, the project commenced four years ago and has now reached the signing stage. He mentioned that they have already initiated the preliminary design phase and plan to complete the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) before advancing to the critical design phase in 8 months.
“The construction will commence 8 months from today. The first delivery is scheduled 36 months after the start, and the second delivery will be completed after 42 months.”
Erkan Yeniçeri, Business Development Manager of Dearsan Shipyard
Yeniçeri also emphasized that after completing the boat, initial sea trials will be conducted in Turkey, followed by a second set of trials in Qatar before the delivery.
Dearsan Shipyard is currently building OPV 76 offshore patrol vessels for the Nigerian Navy. The shipyard laid the keel of the first of two vessels in September 2022, and launched in October 2023. The company will also modernize the Nigerian Navy‘s flagship NNS Aradu.
About FAC50
The FAC50 is a 43-meter fast attack craft with a beam of 9.2 meters and a draught of 2 meters. Although the original model is 50 meters long, it has been specifically configured to meet the requirements of the QENF. While the original design displaces around 320 tonnes, the boat for the QENF is still undergoing calculations during the design phase. The hull of the boat is constructed from steel, while the superstructure is made of aluminum.
Equipped with indigenous weapons and sensors, the only exception being Leonardo’s 40 mm gun, the FAC50 will be armed with Roketsan-made ÇAKIR missiles for anti-surface warfare and Sungur missiles for Anti-Air Warfare. Additionally, it will feature 2 Aselsan-STAMP remote weapon stations and two 12.7 man-operated machine guns.
The sensor suite comprises Aselsan-made MAR-D surface and air surveillance radar, low probability of intercept (LPI) navigation radar, electro-optical sensor, and an electronic support system.
The Dearsan FAC50’s propulsion system includes 3 diesel engines and 3 waterjets, providing a speed of 36+ knots to the boat.
