A ceremony was held on January 19 to mark the delivery of four new naval platforms that will further strengthen the Turkish Naval Forces. The ceremony was held at Sefine Shipyard in Yalova.
The new naval platforms include TCG ISTANBUL (F-515), Türkiye’s first national frigate, and Logistics Support Ship TCG ÜTGM. ARİF EKMEKÇİ (A-575), as well as Replenishment at Sea and Combat Support Ship (DIMDEG) TCG DERYA (A-1590), the second largest ship in the Turkish Naval fleet, and the MARLIN Unmanned Surface Vehıcle (USV).
The contract for the construction of the TCG İSTANBUL (F-515) – the first ship in the MiLGEM İ-Class frigate project under Phase 2 of the MiLGEM ADA-class corvette project – was signed on April 12, 2019 between STM and the Defence Industry Agency (SSB).
Following the launch of TCG İSTANBUL (F-515) on January 23, 2021, the ship rigging in a dry dock and port acceptance tests were subsequently launched in May 2022.
After the completion of the port acceptance tests, TCG İSTANBUL was put to sea for the first time for Sea Acceptance Tests after a flag hoisting ceremony held on June 20, 2023.
As the first Turkish frigate designed by Turkish engineers, the structure of TCG İSTANBUL (F-515), as well as that of the other İstif-Class frigates earmarked for construction, will differ from the ADA-class corvettes in their ability to carry and launch homing surface-to-air missiles.
The frigate has been developed for anti-submarine and surface warfare roles, anti-air warfare and reconnaissance, surveillance, target detection, identification, recognition and early warning missions. The ship measures 113 meters in length with a beam of 14.4 meters.
According to STM, TCG İSTANBUL was constructed at Istanbul Naval Shipyard and has been integrated with advanced national solutions, including the ATMACA Anti-Ship Missile and MİDLAS Vertical Launch System (VLS) developed by Roketsan; the Gökdeniz Close-In Air Weapon System and Cenk-S AESA Radar developed by ASELSAN; and the ADVENT Combat Management System developed by HAVELSAN.
Works on the construction of the sixth, seventh and eighth MİLGEM I Class Platforms, which will be sister ships to TCG İSTANBUL, were launched in partnership with STM and TAİS in 2023.
A ceremony was held for the first sheet metal cutting of the national frigates (TCG İZMİR, TCG İÇEL and TCG İZMİT) on April 10, 2023 with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
