Golcuk Naval Shipyard, the Turkish Navy’s main submarine construction and maintenance facility, has announced the latest information on the Reis-class submarine project (Type-214TN) and the indigenous submarine project “MILDEN” to be commissioned for the Turkish Navy in the first half of the 2030s.
Although the MILDEN project has been discussed in the defense media for years, this is the first time the Turkish Navy has provided important information about the future submarine.
Commander of Gölcük Naval Shipyard, Commodore Mustafa Saygılı, stated that the conceptual design phase of MILDEN 2022 was completed and approved by the Turkish Naval Forces Command and the preliminary design phase, in which the main and auxiliary systems were elaborated in detail, was started. He also provided some information about the project schedule.
“We plan to start building our national submarine in 2025 and deliver to the Navy in the early 2030s.”
Commodore Mustafa Saygili, Commander of Gölcük Naval Shipyard
The design and engineering works of the MILDEN project have been carried out at the “MILDEN Design Office” in Gölcük Naval Shipyard. Currently, 28 personnel (23 engineers, 5 technical designers) are working in this office. According to Captain Izzet Emre Afacan, Chief Engineer of MILDEN Design Office, Turkiye will gain the capability to design submarines with the MILDEN project.
Captain Afacan said the first welding of the prototype is scheduled for early 2025 and construction, installation and trials will be completed by the end of 2031.
“MILDEN is designed as a diesel-electric submarine with a displacement of about 2,700 tons and a length of over 80 meters, and is powered by an air-independent propulsion system. Compared to our current submarines, MILDEN will stay submerged longer, have a heavier weapons load and be able to operate at greater depths.”
Captain Izzet Emre Afacan, Chief Engineer of MILDEN Design Office
About MILDEN Project:
Aiming to build and create a new class of submarine, the MILDEN represents an ambitious effort by the Turkish defense sector, which is also developing a suite of electrical, telecommunications and sensor technologies as well as propulsion and armament systems that will be incorporated into the vessel.
The national submarine development program, which is coordinated by the Turkish Naval Research Center Command, began in March 2012. The project is currently in the conceptual design phase, which is expected to be completed by 2023. Even though there is no clear timeline for the project, the submarines are aimed to be delivered to the Turkish Navy in the 2030s.
In accordance with the information available, the know-how developed during the Reis-class submarine (Type-214 TN) project will be applied during the development and building of MILDEN submarines. Indigenization will be very high on the submarine, which will have air-independent propulsion.
