Turkish-Ukrainian Corvette Deal to be Signed in April

The main contract between Turkey and Ukraine on joint production of corvettes will be signed this April.

“Work has begun on the construction of the corvettes,” Mykola Gapeev, head of the Marketing Department at Ukraine's Okean (Ocean) Shipyard, was quoted as saying by Defense Express on Wednesday.

Under the agreements signed in October and on Dec. 14, first of the corvettes would be built in Turkey while the rest are to be produced in Okean Shipyard.

The information regarding the expected contract by April was shared during the strategic session titled "Priority projects for the development of the maritime industry 2021-23" of the Maritime Cluster of Ukraine (MCU), which took place on Feb. 3, the report added.

Ukraine’s Okean Shipyard which is located in Mykolaiv province is the third major ship construction yard in the area. It operates modern production facilities supplied by world-known companies, and it has a medium and heavy tonnage production line.

The Ukraine-Turkey’s deal signed recently covers supply of MILGEM Ada-class corvettes, and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), likely, Bayraktar TB2 drones. Kyiv reportedly also wants to set up a large-scale assembly line for these deadly drones in the country.