Türkiye’s future National Fast Attack Craft (FAC) broke cover during the naming and launching ceremony of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s third LMS Batch 2 vessel on August 9, 2026.
The ceremony for the Tunku Osman Jewa (143) took place at Istanbul Shipyard. Photo and video coverage from the event showed the hull and superstructure of the Turkish FAC in the background. These images indicate that the construction of the vessel is well underway and the ship has started to take its final shape.
Naval News previously covered this project during the IDEF 2025 defense exhibition. At that time, STM had unveiled the final design and announced that the steel-cutting phase for the lead ship had begun. This latest sighting confirms that the program has moved beyond the early stages of construction to block assembly.
The National FAC project aims to replace the aging Doğan and Rüzgar-class ships in the Turkish Navy’s inventory. A contract for the design phase was signed between the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and STM in 2020. The current program involves the construction of 10 vessels.
The new vessel is significantly larger than current Turkish FACs. It has a displacement exceeding 700 tons and is approximately 10 meters longer than existing platforms. The propulsion system consists of four diesel engines and four waterjets. This configuration is expected to provide a top speed of over 39 knots.
The ship will feature mostly indigenous weapon systems and sensors. It will be armed with Roketsan ATMACA anti-ship missiles and an MKE 76mm naval gun. For close-in defense, the craft will carry either the LEVENT or GÖKSUR missile systems. All sensors and weapons will be integrated into HAVELSAN’s ADVENT Combat Management System.
Advanced automation will allow the ship to operate with a crew of 36 personnel. STM targets 2028 for the start of sea trials for the first vessel. The status of the ship at Istanbul Shipyard on August 9 shows that the construction remains on track with this timeline.
You can watch our video coverage on the Turkish National FAC at IDEF 2025 from the link below:
