President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that the construction of new submarines and ships for the Turkish Naval Forces is progressing rapidly. Stating that the TCG PİRİREİS submarine had entered service, Erdoğan announced that the HIZIRREİS and MURATREİS submarines would soon join the fleet. Erdoğan stated that six more submarines will be built by 2029.
Emphasising that TCG PİRİREİS is the first of the six submarines with an air-independent propulsion system, President Erdoğan said: “This submarine is equipped with superior features compared to its counterparts in the world, which will be able to operate for a long time without surfacing.
Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, said that the commissioning of TCG PİRİREİS will increase the deterrent power of the Turkish Naval Forces and that the submarine is equipped with national guided missiles and torpedoes.
Tatlıoğlu also stated that the HIZIRREİS submarine will be commissioned in 2025 and the MURATREİS submarine in 2026, and announced that the construction of the MİLDEN national submarine project will begin in 2025.
President Erdoğan stated that the TF-2000 Air Defence Warfare Destroyer and the National Aircraft Carrier projects are also underway, and that these projects will increase Turkey’s air defence capacity from the sea and deploy domestic aircraft for overseas operations.
Finally, President Erdoğan announced that the new shipyard opened in Aksaz will make a strategic contribution to Turkey’s naval infrastructure and that efforts will continue to strengthen this infrastructure. The establishment of a new shipyard in Mersin is also planned for the future.
The Reis Class submarines are equipped with the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system and are characterised by their ability to stay underwater for longer periods of time and to operate more quietly. Thanks to AIP technology, these submarines will be able to operate for about three weeks without surfacing.
Many local companies are involved in the project. Defence companies such as ASELSAN, HAVELSAN and STM are manufacturing and integrating critical submarine subsystems. Advanced systems such as the Submarine Information Distribution System (DBDS) and the Integrated Underwater Command and Control System (ISUS-90/72) enable submarines to operate safely and effectively.
General characteristics of Reis-class submarines:
Length: 67.6 m (about 3 m. longer than standard submarines)
Hull outside diameter: 6.3 m
Height: 13.1 m (excluding periscopes)
Surface displacement: 1,855 tonnes
Submerged displacement: 2,042 tonnes
Speed (surface): 10+ knots
Speed (snorkelling) 12 knots
Speed (submerged) 20+ knots
Speed (with AIP engaged) 6+ knots
Range (surface) 12,000 nm (at 6 knots)
Range (submerged) 420 nm (at 8 knots)
Range (with AIP engaged) 1,248 nm (at 4 knots)
Maximum operating depth: 250 m (test depth 400 m)
Course duration: 12 weeks
Diving time 3 weeks
Crew: 40 (5i officers)
Hull Ferromagnetic steel (HY-100 and HY-80)
Weapons:
Torpedo shells: 8 pieces
Torpedo tube diameter: 533 mm (21 inches)
Mk48 ADCAP Mod6 AT or Akya heavy torpedo (planned)
UGM-84A Harpoon Block II ASM (capable of firing 4 torpedo tubes)
ATMACA Block II guided missile to be developed under theATMACA Phase II project (planned)
IDAS SAM (planned); against ASW helicopters, small naval platforms and coastal targets. (Roketsan is a project partner.)
Mobile cruise missile (planned)
Defence systems:
1 x LPI radar
ISUS-90/72 Integrated Underwater Surveillance System (ISUS-90/72)
Multiple Data Link System (CAVLIS), link 11/22 capable
