On December 21, 2025, a major naval platforms delivery ceremony was held in Istanbul Naval Shipyard, which marked the delivery of naval platforms to the Turkish Navy and Pakistan Navy.
The ceremony hosted highest level attendance in Istanbul Naval Shipyard. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Türkiye, was the chief guest in the ceremony, along with ministers, command echelon of the Turkish Armed Forces.
During the ceremony, the second Reis-class (Type 214TN), TCG Hızırreis, air independent propulsion (AIP) capable submarine, Ç-159 New Type Landing Ship and ULAQ unmanned combat surface vessel were delivered to the Turkish Navy. The German shipbuilder TKMS recently announced the handover of TCG Hızırreis to the Turkish Navy, the ceremony in Istanbul marked the commissioning the the submarine.
Within the framework of the ceremony, the flag-raising ceremony was held for TCG Koçhisar, the second ship of the 10-vessel Hisar-class program, while the first steel-cutting ceremony was carried out for the future TCG Seferihisar, the seventh ship of the project.
Pakistan Navy’s second Babur-class corvette (PN MILGEM), PNS Khaibar, was also delivered to the Pakistan Navy Chief, Admiral Naveed Ashraf and their personnel during the ceremony. The first of the PN MILGEM corvettes built for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Babur, was delivered on 24 May 2024, while the ceremony marked the official induction of the second ship, PNS Khaibar, into the Pakistan Navy’s inventory. Under the project, among the vessels constructed at Karachi Shipyard, PNS Badr is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026, followed by PNS Tariq in the first quarter of 2027.
President Erdoğan also addressed the new platforms inducted into the Turkish Navy in his speech, emphasizing that the Reis-class submarines, equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems, have become one of the key elements of deterrence at sea. “TCG Hızırreis was commissioned today, noting that the lead ship of the class, TCG Piri Reis, is already successfully in service. He further noted that TCG Murat Reis is scheduled to enter service by the end of 2026, and that with the remaining three submarines joining the fleet in subsequent years, the Reis-class project, comprising a total of six submarines, will be completed.” President Erdoğan stated.
Erdoğan also touched on other naval platforms delivered during the ceremony, saying “The new Landing Craft, Mechanized (LCM) Ç-159 offers a multi-role capability for both military operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions. In total, eight vessels of this class are planned to be inducted into the inventory by 2027.”
Emphasizing that the role of unmanned systems in naval operations is steadily increasing, President Erdoğan stated that the acqusition of the ULAQ USV marks the beginning of a new era for the Turkish Navy. After powering the vessel with an homegrown engine, the indiginezation rate of the vessel exceeded %90. ULAQ is the 5th USV type of the Turkish Navy, as MARLIN, SANCAR, SALVO and ALBATROS USVs were commissioned recently.
Additional Hisar-class OPVs
During his speech, Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, emphasized that 39 naval vessels are currently under construction simultaneously in Türkiye. He also highlighted the importance of building an indigenous aircraft carrier (MUGEM) and the TF-2000 air-defence destroyer, underscoring the high construction tempo across Turkish shipyards.
Admiral Tatlıoğlu further announced that the construction of four additional Hisar-class OPVs officially commenced on the day of the ceremony. To date, two OPVs have been completed, while four are under construction by the DEARSAN–DESAN–ÖZATA shipyard consortium. With this latest decision, the scope of the program has been expanded to a total of 10 OPVs for the Turkish Navy.
The trials of the TCG Koçhisar is still ongoing, and the vessel is expected to be in active service in the following months. The first vessel of the project, Akhisar, was recently exported to the Romanian Navy.
