Türkische Marine

[Skywalker]

TurDef at ITK: DPO, TF-2000 Destroyer and MUGEM Part I: DPO
28 Nov 2025, 00:40 11 mins
Turkiye
Analysis Navy / Maritime
TurDef at ITK: DPO, TF-2000 Destroyer and MUGEM Part I: DPO TurDef
The Istanbul Shipyard Command, the Turkish Navy's largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility, is responsible for the maintenance and repair of over 200 platforms in its inventory and more than a thousand systems installed on these vessels. The Design Project Office (DPO) is at the heart of the National Warship Construction Programme MilGem, the TF-2000 Air Defence Destroyer and the National Aircraft Carrier (MUGEM). Guided by the motto “He who rules the seas rules the world”, the DPO is shaping the future of the Turkish Naval Forces.

Design Project Office: Where the Indigenous Warships Develops
The engineering and construction studies, guided within a diverse array of disciplines, are pivotal to ensuring the long-term maritime operational superiority of the Turkish Naval Forces. The institution, which commenced operations in 2004 under the appellation MILGEM Project Office with the objective of meeting the navy's warship requirements through the utilisation of domestic resources, continues to operate under the designation Design Project Office. DPO's possession of significant knowledge and experience gained from the Ada Class Corvette programme has resulted in the acquisition of comprehensive combat element design capabilities.

The Office houses a cadre of engineer officers meticulously selected by the Turkish Naval Forces from diverse branches and who have undergone rigorous training in both domestic and international programmes. It also comprises petty officers who have accumulated extensive years of service on ships, alongside civilian engineers and draughtsmen. The ship's steel structure alone is not being worked on using known methods and conventional techniques here. The Command, a veritable hub of naval systems engineering, employs personnel specialised in numerous fields, including construction, propulsion systems, electrical and electronic systems, weapon systems, survivability, shock, acoustics, RF, and electromagnetics. The scope of their operations encompasses the management of numerous processes, including the design, development and optimisation of almost all vital components of a ship, such as combat systems, navigation equipment, fire control structure and living quarters etcetera.

Turkiye's 20th-century aspiration to construct an entirely Turkish-engineered and Turkish-built major combatants is the present-day task of the Design Project Office and survivability is the first-in-line priority in all their efforts. The primary objective of a vessel is to execute the designated task in its entirety. In today's military environment, which is marked by asymmetry, military systems face a wide range of enemies with different capacities and goals. The most important thing for a ship to do is to carry out its mission without any problems. But the growing number of dangers is making this task more and more difficult. Because of this, the Design Project Office puts a lot of focus on survival and sustainment.

It is imperative to emphasise that the platform's integrity and her capacity to reach the nearest port in the event of a potential impact or damage are placed under them. Ensuring that a vessel, which becomes mission-killed in combat, still meets the minimum vital requirements of her propulsion systems and transports personnel to the closest port, despite all the adversities encountered, entails the synchronisation of hundreds of variables in an extremely complex manner, requiring the entire system to operate in harmony within the specified parameters. The Office also aims to expand this capability, which can be regarded as its specialised field, internationally.

https://turdef.com/article/turdef-at-itk...part-i-dpo

TurDef at ITK: DPO, TF-2000 and MUGEM Part II: TF-2000
28 Nov 2025, 00:52 11 mins
Turkiye
Analysis Navy / Maritime
TurDef at ITK: DPO, TF-2000 and MUGEM Part II: TF-2000 TurDef
Ada-Class Corvettes, once the pinnacle of Turkish naval aspirations, now serve as a vital asset in the protection of Turkish sovereignty within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. These vessels also serve a strategic function by demonstrating Turkiye's presence in international waters, a demonstration underscored by the flying of the Turkish flag. The Istif-Class Frigates are also today's presence of the Turkish Navy. Nevertheless, the TF-2000 project is widely regarded as pivotal in shaping the Navy's future.



The necessity for an air defence destroyer emerged to enable Turkiye to establish layered defence in its maritime operational areas and to consolidate advanced air defence/attack capabilities on a single national major surface combatant. Within this scope, the Turkish Naval Forces initiated the design process for the TF-2000 Air Defence Destroyer Project on 14 January 2019, with responsibility for this task assigned to the Design Project Office.

The vessels, which will provide the capability to simultaneously secure all of the Republic of Turkiye's areas of interest in the Eastern Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea with four units, can be described as the culmination of the foundation laid by the Ada-Class Corvettes and the experience gained with the Istif-Class Frigates. As per the plan, the anticipated domestic contribution ratio for the air defence destroyers is approximately 86 per cent.The platform, with a planned displacement of 8,300 tons, is to be 149 metres long, 21.3 metres wide and have a draught of 4.75 metres. The TF-2000s will operate diesel engines during cruise. However, when higher speed is required, the CODOG (Combined Diesel or Gas) propulsion system allows transitioning to gas turbines, enabling speeds up to 27 knots, depending on environmental conditions. The fact that integration is difficult and costly, and that the CODAG structure, which is subject to high wear and tear, has not been selected for long-term economic service life, is one of the advantages in terms of operating costs. The platform's designated living space capacity is planned to be in the range of 180 to 210 individuals, including of crew members, special mission elements and personnel allocated to aviation facilities.

https://turdef.com/article/turdef-at-itk...ii-tf-2000

TurDef at ITK: DPO, TF-2000 and MUGEM Part III: MUGEM
28 Nov 2025, 00:57 12 mins
Turkiye
Analysis Navy / Maritime
TurDef at ITK: DPO, TF-2000 and MUGEM Part III: MUGEM Turdef
The National Ship (Millî Gemi / MilGem) Programme, which was initiated with the construction of Ada-Class Corvettes, is currently ongoing with the construction of Istif-Class Frigates. The subsequent class is the TF-2000 Air Defence Destroyers. The Turkish Navy has gained the capability to conduct full amphibious operations with the TCG Anadolu (L 400) and her air assets. The force is currently in the process of acquiring aircraft carriers.



The concept of a domestic aircraft carrier, designated MUGEM, is not novel occurrence for Turkiye. The history of the process can be traced back to the TCG Anadolu LHD Project period. The programme is currently being advanced under the responsibility of the Design Project Office (DPO), with a team of 200 people and engineering support from domestic companies. This will enable the Turkish Navy to enhance its capacity for airpower projection for overseas operations significantly.



When considering domestic aircraft carrier projects, it is pertinent to open a small parenthesis here. In recent years, the United Kingdom and Turkiye have considered the procurement of the HMS Ocean (L12) LPH platform. The ship's fixed-wing aircraft operating capability is extremely limited due to the absence of a ski-jump on the bow section required for jets to take off at full load from the flight deck. One of the most important questions was whether it would be possible to transport only Harrier STOVL (Short Take-off / Vertical Landing) jets, or to take off with a very low load, given the runway's insufficient length. Nevertheless, there was debate at that time as to whether the LPH would be a significant force multiplier for the Turkish Navy. Investigations revealed oil leaks and other mechanical issues in the power transmission system. It was found that the structural elements had been cut, which significantly reduced their load-bearing capacity. Additionally, it is noted that the old, neglected two-stroke main engines are unable to meet modern navigation economy requirements and that the machine control system (MCS) is inactive. This results in limited communication with the bridge. In this situation, it is pointed out that the platform will not provide the desired benefits and that any improvements would be very expensive.

https://turdef.com/article/turdef-at-itk...-iii-mugem