MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA TCG Kınalıada: Strengthening Turkish Naval Power OE Watch Commentary: In late September, the Turkish Navy commissioned the TCG Kınalıada (F-514), Ada-class and the fourth ship of the MİLGEM project, after it completed sea trials. The Turkish Naval Forces have previously received TCG , TCG Büyükada and TCG Burgazada which were developed as part of the MİLGEM project, showcasing the innovation of the Turkish defense industry. This project was launched in 2004 by the Naval Shipyard Command and aims to develop warships using local resources to improve national naval warship building capacity, to reduce dependence on foreign military hardware technology. The MİLGEM project’s national Ada-class have anti- warfare capability and are the latest technological advancement of Turkish defense industry. Other countries have shown Turkish corvette TCG Heybeliada (F511) during a passing exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, Sept 2, 2014. Source: MC2 John Herman via Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Navy_Cmdr._Russell_Caldwell_waves_to_the_Turkish_corvette_TCG_Heybeliada_(F_511)_from_ interest in ordering warships constructed by aboard_the_guided_missile_destroyer_USS_Ross_(DDG_71)_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea_during_a_passing_exercise_Sept_140902-N-IY142-159.jpg, Public Domain this project. The accompanying articles from Turkish media provide insight into the project. The first article highlights President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech at the commissioning ceremony of TCG Kınalıada and the steel-cutting ceremony for the Ada-class corvette to be built for Pakistan. In his speech, the President said, “the recent developments around the world and particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean have shown that must be much stronger in the seas, just as we are in other areas.” He also pointed out that Turkey is one of 10 countries that is able to develop, build, and maintain a warship using exclusively domestic means, noting that the MİLGEM project is supported by over “50 local companies” in subcontractor capacity. According to the article, Turkish defense firm STM provided platform systems and design services, ASELSAN provided weapon and sensor systems and HAVELSAN supplied the combat management system. TCG Kınalıada is also equipped with Turkey’s first domestic maritime missile , developed by ROKETSAN, a Turkish defense contractor. The latest MİLGEM project product, TCG Kınalıada, is 99-meter-long and 14.4-meter-wide and can reach a maximum speed of 29-plus nautical miles. The other corvettes manufactured by this project have participated in numerous national and international exercises showcasing their superior capabilities and their success has attracted the attention of other countries. As the second article states, Turkey has started the construction of a naval ship under the MİLGEM project for Pakistan. Turkey and Pakistan signed a contract for the acquisition of MİLGEM-class warships in July 2018. Turkish President Erdoğan and Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff Zafar Mahmood Abbasi were present at the steel-cutting ceremony for the construction of the warship for Pakistan. This indicates deepening defense cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey. Exporting domestically made defense industry products has been an objective of the Turkish government under the leadership of the President Erdoğan. Turkish officials stated that while 70 percent of the MİLGEM project products are domestically made, it still has foreign dependency. End OE Watch Commentary (Gündüz)

“The recent developments around the world and particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean have shown that Turkey must be much stronger in the seas, just as we are in other areas.” -President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

OE Watch | November 2019 54 MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA Continued: TCG Kınalıada: Strengthening Turkish Naval Power

Source: Çiğdem Alyanak Berk Özkan et al., “Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: Her alanda yerli ve milli imkanları en üst seviyeye çıkarmakta kararlıyız (President Erdoğan: We are determined to maximize national opportunities in every field),”Anadolu Ajansı, 29 September 2019. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-her-alanda-yerli-ve-milli-imkanlari-en-ust-seviyeye-cikarmakta-kararliyiz/1597166

The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the commissioning ceremony of the fourth domestically produced corvette TCG Kınalıada and the steel-cutting ceremony for the first MİLGEM-class corvette… [to be sold to] Pakistan. “Turkey has become one of the 10 nations able to design [and develop] warships using domestic means…” “The recent developments around the world and particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean have shown that Turkey must be much stronger in the seas, just as we are in other areas.” Erdogan said that the design, construction and integration activities of Kınalıada were carried out at the Istanbul Shipyard Command. “The design, research, development and procurement were carried out by our Defense Industry Presidency with domestic and national means… The ships design and platform systems [were provided] by STM, weapon and sensor systems were provided by ASELSAN, war and management system [were provided] by HAVELSAN. More than 50 local companies served as subcontractors under these companies.” …. Unlike the first three of the MİLGEM Ada Class Corvettes, Erdoğan said, TCG Kınalıada is equipped with Turkey’s first domestic maritime missile ATMACA, developed by ROKETSAN. Meanwhile, Advent, a network supported combat management system developed jointly by HAVELSAN and Turkish Navy, is being used for the first time on this ship…

Source: “Turkey begins construction of naval warship for Pakistan,” ahvalnews.com, 30 September 2019. https://ahvalnews.com/turkey- pakistan/turkey-begins-construction-naval-warship-pakistan Turkey has started the construction of a naval warship to be sold to ally Pakistan as part of a deal signed in July 2018… Construction for the MILGEM warship was kicked off with a steel-cutting ceremony attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff Zafar Mahmood Abbasi… Pakistan’s navy last year signed a contract for the acquisition of four MILGEM-class ships from Turkey. The 99.5-meter Turkish MILGEM class corvettes are anti-submarine warfare (ASW) oriented vessels designed to embark ASW/ASUW helicopters and fitted with Harpoon and RAM missiles and a 76 mm gun. Turkey and Pakistan have recently deepened cooperation in the defense field.

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