Turkish Navy receives new frigate TCG ISTANBUL PHOTO/VIDEO

The frigate TCG Istanbul (F-515) has left port for the first time for sea trials.

In fact, this platform is one of the turning points in the Turkish defence industry's ability to produce warships with domestic/national resources, Caliber.Az reports that SavunmaSanayiST.com reported this on its Twitter page.

Under the MILGEM project, it localizes extremely complex and highly critical systems of great importance to the near future of the Turkish Navy.

The TCG ISTANBUL frigate was the first to integrate Roketsan's national vertical launch system (MIDLAS).

After the Mk41 vertical launch system could not be procured in the US, Roketsan accelerated the MIDLAS project to provide a quick solution as part of an urgent need for operations. The first ground test of MIDLAS was conducted on 3 December 2022. The test used a HİSAR-RF anti-aircraft missile.

TCG ISTANBUL will launch the HİSAR-RF missile from the MIDLAS system in the maritime phase of the test.

In addition to the naval version of HİSAR-RF, missiles such as ESSM Block 2, ATMACA and SIPER Block 1 will be integrated into the MIDLAS system.

"We will use HİSAR-RF together with the national vertical launch system (MIDLAS) at TCG ISTANBUL. The MIDLAS project will be implemented in phases. We will continue our efforts to provide both cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, as well as Quad-Pack capabilities in advanced configurations,” Roketsan CEO Murat Ikinci said, commenting on the matter.

Once this system is integrated into the frigate ISTANBUL, we will try to integrate other missiles into MIDLAS. We will try to integrate all nationally developed missiles into our National Vertical Launch System.

With its Quad-Pack capabilities, the frigate TCG ISTANBUL, which already has a 16-cell MIDLAS, will be able to launch up to 64 anti-aircraft missiles. Turkey currently has only ESSM Block II as a Quad-Pack-compatible missile. However, it is envisaged that an air defence missile compatible with the Quad-Pack will be developed in the next stages at the expense of national resources.

The frigate TCG ISTANBUL is scheduled to join the naval command in September 2023.

TCG İSTANBUL'daki Roketsan MİDLAS görüldü: Quad-Pack?https://t.co/D5KuaVSMDM

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) June 20, 2023