Turkey Launches Two New Offshore Patrol Boats For Intelligence Operations To Counterterrorism

Offshore patrol boat Class Hisar TCG Akhisar (P1220). (Twitter/@SavunmaSanayiST)

JAKARTA - The Turkish Navy has again received additional strength, with the launch of the first two ships in the Offshore Patrol Ship Project, with a total of 10 ships for the first phase of this project.

Two new offshore patrol boats (OPV) launched at the Istanbul Shipyard Command were named TCG Akhisar and TCG Komenhisar. The launch was attended by Defense Minister Yasamaar Göler and Head of the Presidency of Defense Industry (SSB) Haluk Görgön.

Later, the newly launched ships will have the ability to carry out various maritime operations, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), search and rescue missions (SAR), counterterrorism operations, maritime surveillance, and special operations.

"With the addition of these ships to our navy, which shows the superiority of our domestic and national industries, our navy will further improve their operational capabilities and effectiveness in the Blue Country and strengthen their position among the world's leading naval forces," Minister Göler said at the launch., reported from Daily Sabah 10 October.

"As the Ministry of Defense and the Turkish Armed Forces, we will continue to work day and night for the survival of our noble nation and country, including the development of domestic and national defense," he explained.

Furthermore, it said, ships built under Turkish state-owned defense company ASFAT, are expected to begin port revenue tests soon.

Emre Koray Genwasoy, director of the maritime program at ASFAT, said in an interview with the Anadolu Agency (AA), there was a lot of effort and power behind the launch of the first two HISAR-class offshore patrol boats simultaneously, stressing this was a significant achievement for the Turkish defense industry.

Developed as a variant of the MILGEM class corvette, the HISAR class OPV has been redesigned with different major propulsion systems, as well as different common structure and layout concepts, allowing for creation in a shorter time and lower cost.

Gentasoy points out that managing these projects simultaneously requires detailed planning, identifying specific risks, acting in accordance with these risks and having flexible structures to solve the problems they face.

"The project production period is only 26 months. It's a fairly short period. It's an important target for our defense industry for complex platforms of this size on naval platforms. It's also the first time," explained Gen!

"When you look at the ship, you see MILGEM, but analysis has been done from scratch and this is a lighter ship. A ship whose propeller system and axis system have been changed," he explained.

He added that the project also uses the concept of ready at the location', which will allow further integration of the newly developed national weapon system and censorship.