Turkey to Invite Bids for 3 New MILGEM Frigates

Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) will hold a tender for the manufacturing of three new frigates as part of the National Ship (MILGEM) project.

Ismail Demir, head of the SSB, told government-owned Anadolu Agency (AA) that they will continue their efforts to meet the needs of the security forces with the most advanced technologies, with the goal of a "fully independent Turkey in the defense industry."

“Our domestic industrial companies have the ability and capability to build ships that have no equivalents around the world at competitive costs. With this strength, we are taking another important step in the MILGEM Project. The tender process for the sixth, seventh and eighth ships has started. The rate of locality will be much higher,” he said.

The project entails construction of ships that will perform reconnaissance and surveillance, target detection, identification and recognition, early warning missions, base and port defense, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), surface warfare, air defense warfare, amphibious operations and patrol activities for the Naval Forces Command.

The MILGEM project has so far completed the deliveries of four Ada-class corvettes, TCG Heybeliada in 2011, TCG Büyükada in 2013, TCG Burgazada in 2018 and TCG Kınalıada in 2019.

Except for the systems that need further development, improvement or localization, the ships will be equivalent to the fifth ship of MILGEM, the Istanbul Frigate (F-515), which is the advanced version of the former corvettes built under the same program. This frigate includes different features than the previous four corvettes and is a product of 70% local production.

The bidders for the production must have a domestic shipyard or the design subcontractor must cooperate with a domestic shipyard. For the tender, it will also be required to have conducted or executed a military surface platform design/construction project with the SSB or to be partner of companies that fulfill this condition.