Turkey Invests in First Homegrown Air Defense Destroyer, New Patrol Boats

Turkey’s government-owned shipbuilder ASFAT has secured contracts to build the country’s first locally-developed air defense destroyer and four additional offshore patrol vessels.

Assembly of the indigenous warship, to be called the TF-2000, will occur in around 60 blocks with a target completion date of 2030, according to Breaking Defense.

Meanwhile, the patrol vessels will be based on Ankara’s existing Ada-class corvette, with all four expected to be constructed within 36 months.

The TF-2000 will measure 149 meters (489 feet), have a beam of 21 meters (69 feet), and a landing pad for a 15-ton (33,069-pound) class helicopter.

It will be able to operate in rough seas with waves up to 4 meters (13 feet) high, has a 45-day operational capability without replenishment, a 180-day deployment cap without shore-based assistance, and more than 40 years of service life.

It will be armed with a vertical launching system, a point defense missile system, a 127-millimeter naval gun, a close-in weapon system, a 25-millimeter stabilized naval gun, and torpedo launchers.

Additional solutions include phased array and low-probability-of-intercept radars, an electro-optical director, a laser warning system, and bow-mounted and low-frequency active sonars. It will be equipped with combined diesel and gas propulsion for a speed of 26 knots (48 kilometers/30 miles per hour).

In addition to air defense, the TF-2000 will be used for anti-submarine, anti-surface, and electronic warfare, counter-insurgency and special operations, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tasks.

Turkey’s new offshore patrol vessels will have similar components and sensing capabilities to the proven Ada corvette. Sources said that the order will count as the seventh to 10th platforms of the country’s ongoing Hisar-class patrol boat program.

Each ship measures 100 meters (328 feet), has a beam of 14 meters (46 feet), and a platform for a maritime helicopter with dimensions similar to an S-70B Seahawk.

The ship is fitted with a 76-millimeter naval gun, a close-in weapon, a 12.7-millimeter remote turret, a vertical launcher system, and anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles.

It sails with a combined diesel–electric and diesel engine for speeds up to 24 knots (44 kilometers/28 miles per hour), a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,334 kilometers/5,178 miles), and an operational endurance of 21 days.