The Turkish Defense Ministry announced it has begun construction of MİLDEN, its first domestic submarine.
Specifically, Ankara is constructing multiple submarine classes: the Reis-class, which includes six diesel-electric submarines with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, with the first already commissioned and others in various stages of construction and secondly, the aforementioned domestically produced MILDEN, a next-generation diesel-electric submarine project for which construction officially started in January 2025.
“Following the construction of the first block of the TF-2000 destroyer at our Istanbul Shipbuilding Command, the construction of the first test block of our national submarine (MİLDEN) has started at the Golcuk Shipbuilding Command,“ the Turkish defence ministry added.
Another small, diesel-electric submarine, the STM 500 is also under construction, with completion of the first vessel expected in 2026.
Citing an expert, the Daily Sabah has described the construction of mini-submarines as a 'game changer', much like the Bayraktar combat drones.
Turkey is rapidly raising production and output levels of its domestic defense industry and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.
Last week it was reported that contractors had launched construction of the indigenous TF-2000 naval air defense destroyer which will form part of the planned multi-layered “Steel Dome“ air defense system.
During a weekly briefing, the ministry said that the ASFAT company operating under its jurisdiction had also signed an agreement with the Romanian Ministry of Defense for the purchase of one light corvette “Akhisar“ - the first such sale to a NATO ally by Turkey.
SOURCES: DAILY SABAH, AKMU, BULGARIAN STATE NEWS AGENCY