Turkey to Launch First Hisar-class Offshore Patrol Vessel

Turkey’s Istanbul Naval Shipyard will soon launch the Navy’s first Hisar-class offshore patrol vessel.

The ship Akhisar (P-1220) is currently at the shipyard ready for its launch, Defense Turk reported.

Emre Koray Gencsoy, the Naval Programs Director of ASFAT (the main project contractor), shared the photos of the future TCG Akhisar and confirmed that the ship was ready for the launch ceremony.

The Hisar class is developed on the basis of the larger Ada-class corvettes of the MILGEM project. The former has a displacement of about 2,300 tons and range of 4.500 nautical miles.

The main difference between the two class of ships lies in the different layout and use of the CODELOD (Combined Diesel-eLectric Or Diesel) main propulsion system. The new layout makes the ship cheaper and increases the speed of construction.

The construction of the first Hisar-class vessel started in April 2022. The plan is to build a total of 10 ships for this project.

“Only 15 months after the steel-cutting, TCG Akhisar, with most of its equipment fitted and its power system ready, awaits the launching ceremony,” the Naval Programs Director of ASFAT noted.

Hisar concept revealed by Turkey shows the ship equipped with atypical weapons for this class, likely consisting of ATMACA or CAKIR anti-ship missiles.

The ship is likely to be equipped with a vertical launch system to launch surface-to-air missiles.

The gun systems are represented by the Gökdeniz close-in weapon system and the 76 mm gun.