The signing ceremony took place on April 06, 2023, at SSB’s premises in Ankara. SSB has reportedly awarded STM–TAIS partnership to build the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th I-class frigates. These frigates are the 6th, 7th, and 8th ships of the MILGEM project, the first ships are ADA -class corvettes and the 5th ship is TCG Istanbul, the lead ship of the I-class frigates.
Ismail Demir, head of SSB, stressed in his speech that this contract gives Turkish private shipyards the opportunity to build frigates for the first time. He also emphasized that the talks on the contract were concluded in only 2 months. In his speech, he also addressed the trend of indigenization of Turkish defense industry.
“Thanks to the development of high-tech critical systems of our ships, which have many domestically developed platforms and war systems, our country’s domestic rate in this field has reached 75%.” Demir said.
“Within this framework, for example, we will now equip our I-class frigates, for which we have developed all sensor and weapon systems nationally, with national air defense capabilities. Our localization efforts will not be limited to that. For example, we will continue our efforts in many areas, such as the Main Gun, the helicopter securing system, and various components of the main propulsion system.”
Ismail Demir, Head of SSB
The first frigate of the Turkish Navy’s I-class frigate project, the future TCG Istanbul (F-515), was launched on January 23, 2021. Since the launching of the ship, the contractors of the project have been working on the frigate very hard to deliver Turkiye’s first indigenous frigate on time. The lead ship of the project is scheduled to enter service this year. TCG Istanbul is being built in Istanbul Naval Shipyard.
These three frigates will be built concurrently at the Sefine, Anadolu, and Sedef Shipyards, that are the partners of TAIS. The shipyards will deliver the frigates in 36 months. These three shipyards have previous experience with naval ship projects: Sefine Shipyard is building the Turkish Navy’s DIMDEG fleet oiler and MARLIN USV, Anadolu Shipyard has built amphibious vessels for the Turkish Navy and Qatari Emiri Naval Forces, and Sedef Shipyard is building the Turkish Navy’s future flagship LHD Anadolu.
About I-Class (Istif-class) Frigate
The I-class Frigate Program was launched to construct four frigates to replace aging YAVUZ-class Frigates in the mid-2020s. Developed under the MILGEM indigenous warship program, the Istanbul class is an enlarged variant of the Ada-class anti-submarine corvette. The I-class Frigates will have around 50% increased fuel capacity and operational/sailing range capability compared to Ada-class Corvettes.
The I-class frigates have the configuration to conduct detection, determination of position, classification, identification, and destruction of the target and NGFS. The I-class Frigate is designed to conduct maritime surveillance and patrol operations, inspection, and surveillance of EEZ besides preventing potential threats.
Specifications:
| Length Overall | : 113.2 meters |
| Length Waterline | : 105.2 meters |
| Beam Max | : 14.4 meters |
| Draught | : 4.05 meters |
| Displacement | : 3000 tons |
| Maximum Speed | : 29+ knots |
| Cruise Speed | : 14 knots |
| Endurance | : 5700 Nm at 14 knots |
| Main Propulsion | : CODAG (2xMTU Diesel engines + 1xLM2500 gas turbine) 2x shafts and CPP propellers |
| Power Generation | : 4 x 560kw diesel generator |
| CMS | : HAVELSAN ADVENT |
| Sensor Suit | : – 3D radar (Probably Aselsan CENK-S AESA*) – Navigation radar (Probably Aselsan ALPER-P LPI*) – Fire Control Radars (2xAKR-D Fire Control radars*) – EO Systems (Probably ASELFLIR-300T, PIRI KATS, and AHTAPOT*) – FERSAH hull-mounted sonar – HIZIR Torpedo Countermeasures System – Laser warning system – ASELSAN ARES family ESM/ECM |
| Weapons | : – 16-cell MIDLAS indigenous VLS for launching HISAR family of surface-to-air missiles – 4×4 ATMACA anti-ship missiles – Aselsan Gokdeniz CIWS** – 76 mm Super Rapid Gun – 2 x 25 mm Aselsan STOP machine gun – 2×3 Lightweight torpedo (MK-46 Mod 5 / Roketsan ORKA) |
*The exact system name is taken from a presentation issued by STM at 10th Naval Systems Seminar held in November 2021
** Several Turkish media outlets claim that Phalanx Baseline-2 CIWS will be fitted, but the mockups carry GOKDENIZ
