On January 19, the Turkish Navy ushered in a historic moment when the first domestically built frigate, the Istanbul, officially entered service. It was the first frigate developed and built by Turkey, marking the improvement of the Turkish Navy and the progress of the defense industry. Turkey is full of praise for this ship, calling it "the pride of the Turkish Navy." So, how advanced is this *** and can it play a role in the international arena?
The Istanbul frigate is the lead ship of the Istanbul-class frigate, which is a stealth design and uses a variety of stealth technologies to reduce the radar reflection area and infrared radiation. Eight frigates of this class are planned to be built, and four are already under construction or launched. With a displacement of 3100 tons, the Istanbul frigate is almost 1000 tons smaller than the Chinese 054A frigate and half smaller than the American Burke-class destroyers. It has a length of 1132 meters, width 144 meters, draft 405 meters. Its powertrain consists of an American LM2500 gas turbine and two German MTU diesel engines, with a maximum speed of 29 knots and an economic speed of 14 knots, with a range of 5,700 nautical miles. It has a crew of 123 people, which is less automated than its Japanese and European counterparts**.
The Istanbul frigate's ** system includes an Italian Otto Melara 76-mm naval gun, several 35- or 25-mm close-in defense guns and small-caliber guns, 16 Turkish-made ATMACA anti-ship missiles, 16 Turkish-made MDAS vertical launch systems that can fire 64 medium- and short-range anti-aircraft missiles, and two 324-mm twin torpedo launchers. In addition, it is equipped with an S70B anti-submarine *** and a Turkish UAV. From the point of view of the best matching, the Istanbul frigate has a certain multi-purpose combat capability and can perform anti-ship, air defense, anti-submarine and other tasks. However, from the technical level, its ** system is not advanced, and even a little backward. The ATMACA anti-ship missile is a subsonic missile that does not have stealth and supersonic capabilities, comparable to the American Harpoon missile and the Chinese YP, and cannot deal with modern air defense systems. The small size of the MDAS vertical launch system does not allow it to carry larger anti-aircraft missiles, so its regional air defense capabilities are limited and cannot protect the fleet from long-range air threats. In terms of air defense, it is much inferior to the Chinese 054A frigate, which has 32 vertical launch cells and can launch medium and long-range anti-aircraft missiles.
The biggest advantage of the Istanbul frigate is that it has a high degree of localization, except for some key components, such as gas turbines, naval guns, etc., most of the systems are developed by Turkey itself. This reflects the independent innovation capability of the Turkish defense industry, and also reduces the dependence on foreign businessmen. Turkey also plans to build 4 Istanbul-class frigates for Ukraine, demonstrating its export potential. However, this also caused it some trouble, as the United States decided to impose sanctions on Turkey, restricting the export of some key components, such as the LM2500 gas turbine. This shows that the Istanbul frigate is not completely free from foreign influence, and there are still some core technologies that need to be broken through.
In conclusion, the Istanbul frigate is a milestone achievement and a symbol of pride for the Turkish Navy and defense industry. However, from an international point of view, its performance and technical level are not outstanding, and even somewhat backward, which cannot compete with the advanced ** of major countries such as the United States, China, and Russia, and it is difficult to cope with future maritime challenges. Its export prospects are also not promising, as it will be interfered with and blocked by some countries, and will only be able to meet Turkey's own needs. Thus, the Istanbul frigate is a fairly entry-level 3000-ton frigate with its own advantages and disadvantages that cannot be overstated or belittled.