Frigate Istanbul Class Starts Undergoing Sea Trial

After being launched on January 23, 2021, the original Turkish domestic design frigate, TCG Istanbul F515 (Istanbul class), started the sea trial stage on June 20, 2023.

TCG Istanbul was photographed leaving the Istanbul Naval Shipyard and has been announced on social media by the Turkish Defense Ministry.

After going through the sea trial stage, TCG Istanbul is scheduled to join the Turkish Navy at the end of this year.

Apart from TGC Istanbul, there are three more Istanbul-class units that will be built by a partnership involving Turkish companies STM and TAIS Shipyard.

These three frigates will be built simultaneously at Sefine, Anadolu, and Sedef Shipyards, which are TAIS partners.

The three Istanbiul classes are TCG Izmir (F-516), Anadolu Shipyard (ADIK), TCG Içel (F-517), Sedef Shipyard, and TCG Izmit (F-518), Sefine Shipyard.

Each shipyard will deliver the frigates within 36 months.

TCG Istanbul is included in I-Class, or Istanbul Class, because TCG Istanbul is the lead ship of a total of four similar ships to be built by Istanbul Shipyard.

The I-Class frigates were built as a replacement for the aging Yavuz-Class frigates.

This frigate has a displacement of 3,000 tons, a length of 113.2 meters, and a width of 14.4 meters.

The Istanbul Class adopts CODAG (combined diesel and gas) propulsion with two MTU 20V 4000 M93L diesel engines and an LM2500 gas turbine engine.

With CODAG support, the Istanbul Class can reach a maximum speed of 29 knots and an economical speed of 14 knots, as well as a cruising range of up to 10,556 km.

This frigate, the pride of Turkey, has a crew of 123 personnel and is designed to be able to sail continuously without resupply for 15 days.

In addition to two units of Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB), the Istanbul Class can carry two units of S-70 Seahawk helicopters, provided that one unit is in the hangar and one unit is on the deck.

The Istanbul Class is equipped with various modern weapons.

Let's say there are 16 VLS cells with a total of 64 Hanud missiles whose type has not been explained.

Then there are the 44 Atmaca anti-ship missiles, the OTO Melara Super Rapid Gun 76 mm cannon, one Aselsan Gokdeniz CIWS unit, two 25 mm Aselsan STOP machine guns, and the HIZIR Torpedo Countermeasures System.