Milgem Class corvettes are being built for the Turkish Navy under the Turkish national warship programme known as Milgem. Eight corvettes and four F-100 Class frigates will be constructed under the programme. The new Milgem Class multimission corvettes feature stealth technologies and can perform search, rescue, patrol, observation and anti-submarine warfare operations.
The keel was laid for the first vessel, TCG Heybeliada (F-511), at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in July 2005. Launched in September 2008, the vessel was scheduled to commission in early 2011. The second vessel in class, TCG Büyükada (F-512), was laid in September 2008. It is scheduled to be launched in October 2010 and commissioned in 2013.
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The first two vessels were built at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command and remaining vessels will be constructed at private Turkish shipyards. Turkey-based STM has appointed by the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) to procure materials, services and systems for the project.
The Canadian Navy, Pakistani Navy, Ukrainian Navy and navies of South American countries have evinced interest in Milgem class warships.
The Milgem corvette has an overall length of 99m, a waterline length of 90.5m, a beam of 14.4m and a design draft of 3.6m. The displacement of the vessel is 2,000t. The ship can be fully operated at the sea state 5. It can accommodate 93 crew members, including the air crew.
Milgem corvette design
Milgem Project Office (MPO) designed and developed the vessel platform. Milgem’s design concept and mission profile is similar to the littoral combat ship (LCS-1) developed by Lockheed Martin. It features a steel hull and fragmentation resistant composite superstructure. The stealth hull design achieves low radar, magnetic, infrared and acoustic signatures.
Milgem corvette missions
Designed as a multipurpose corvette, Milgem can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, target identification, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare and amphibious operations.
Corvette command and control
The Milgem Class corvette is equipped with the UNIMACS 3000 series integrated platform management system (IPMS) developed by YALTES. The system monitors and controls machinery, auxiliary systems, electrical power generation and distribution.
The main systems integrated in IPMS include a power management system, fire detection system, fire fighting and damage control system, CCTV system and stability control system.
The YALTES combat management system (CMS) includes operator consoles (OPCON) and tactical consoles (TACON), land-based test system units, inter-console units, a commander unit and combat system video network.
Corvette missiles and torpedoes
The corvette is equipped with eight Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles and a single mk31 RAM self-defence missile weapon system, which can launch RAM anti-aircraft missiles. The Harpoon missile can strike the targets in a 124km range while travelling at a speed of Mach 0.71.
The ship is fitted with two 324mm mk32 tubes to launch mk46 torpedoes. The torpedo has a range of 7,315m and can attack high-performance submarines.
Vessel guns
A 76mm dual-purpose gun is fitted on the vessel. In addition, two remotely controlled 12.7mm machine guns are mounted on the stabilised machine gun platform, which has been developed by Aselsan.
Aircraft helicopter system
The corvettes are equipped with an aft flight deck to allow the operation of a S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter. The aircraft ship-integrated secure and traverse (ASIST) helicopter handling and tracking system, developed by Curtiss-Wright, will ensure the safe landing of helicopters.
Countermeasures
The Degaussing (DG) system is used as a countermeasure to the threat of magnetic influenced mines.
The other countermeasures include an early warning (EW) radar, ASW jammers and Sea Sentor surface ship torpedo defence (SSTD) system. The SSTD system can detect and locate the incoming torpedoes and decoy or defeat them.
Corvette vessel sensors
The sensors suit includes a SMART-S mk2 search radar, a X-band radar, a fire-control radar, a navigation radar and a LPI radar. A search / attack sonar is also fitted on the vessel.
Propulsion
The corvette is equipped with a combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion system, which consists of a gas-turbine and two diesel engines delivering a power of around 30,000kW. The propulsion system provides a maximum speed of 29k and an economical speed of 15k.
