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Turkey Launches 3rd Corvette, Vows Self-Sufficiency in Defense

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SEDDULBAHIR, TURKEY – APRIL 24: Sailors standing on the deck of a warship at a parade during the Turkish International Ceremony at Mehmetcik Abidesi Martyrs Memorial to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign on April 24, 2015 near Seddulbahir Turkey.. Allied and Turkish representatives, as well as family members of those who served, will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the campaign with ceremonies scheduled for April 24-25. The Gallipoli land campaign, in which a combined Allied force of British, French, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops sought to occupy the Gallipoli peninsula and the strategic Dardanelles strait during World War I, began on April 25, 1915 against Turkish forces of the Ottoman Empire. The Allies, unable to advance more than a few kilometers, withdrew after eight months. The campaign cost the Allies approximately 45,000 killed and up to 200,000 wounded, the Ottomans approximately 85,000 killed and 160,000 wounded. on April 24, 2015 in Eceabat, Turkey. Allied and Turkish representatives, as well as family members of those who served, will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the campaign with ceremonies scheduled for April 24-25. The Gallipoli land campaign, in which a combined Allied force of British, French, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops sought to occupy the Gallipoli peninsula and the strategic Dardanelles strait during World War I, began on April 25, 1915 against Turkish forces of the Ottoman Empire. The Allies, unable to advance more than a few kilometers, withdrew after eight months. The campaign cost the Allies approximately 45,000 killed and up to 200,000 wounded, the Ottomans approximately 85,000 killed and 160,000 wounded. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

ANKARA — Turkey launched its third locally produced corvette Saturday at a high-profile ceremony and has begun the construction of its forth.

Speaking at the launch of the Ada-class corvette, the TCG Burgazada, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country is seeking full self-sufficiency in defense systems by the year 2023, the centennial of modern Turkey.

Officials say Turkey’s local industry meets 60 percent of the military requirements, up from around 25 percent in the early 2000s.

Erdogan said that Turkey would soon “be in a position to make our own aircraft carriers.”

Though that may seem ambitious, Turkish shipyard Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. has teamed up with Spain’s Navantia to build Turkey’s first landing platform dock for less than $1.5 billion.

Burgazada is the third Ada-class corvette produced under a program dubbed MILGEM. The first ship, the TCG Heybeliada, was launched in 2008.

The MILGEM ships, named after the Prince Islands off Istanbul, are designed primarily for search and rescue, patrol, and anti-submarine warfare missions. They can carry a Seahawk helicopter and are armed with a 76mm gun, missiles and torpedoes.

They have a displacement of 2,400 tons, a maximum speed of more than 29 knots (33 mph) and a range of 3,500 nautical miles.

Turkish officials recently said they will order four more corvettes after the MILGEM program is complete. These will be “more advanced and bigger vessels,” they said.

Speaking at Saturday’s ceremony, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik said that reducing dependence on foreign arms is a key goal of the Turkish defense industry.

Confirming commitment to that goal, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the Ankara government had invested $30 billion in the defense industry over the past 14 years.

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Burak Ege Bekdil was the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.