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TF-2000 Destroyer Construction Heralds New Era in Türkiye’s Steel Dome Naval Air Shield.
Türkiye has launched the construction of its first TF-2000 air defense warfare destroyer at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command. The milestone strengthens the country’s broader Steel Dome architecture, a nationwide effort to expand indigenous air and missile defense capabilities.
On 27 November 2025, Türkiye formally started construction of its first TF-2000 air-defence warfare destroyer at Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command, marking a decisive step in the country’s long-planned “Steel Dome” integrated air and missile defence architecture, as reported by the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MoD). Announced during the MoD’s weekly press briefing and confirmed through official statements and social media posts, the beginning of work on the first hull block turns a design effort that has been maturing for years into a tangible warship. Coming after new contracts worth approximately 6.5 billion dollars were signed with ASELSAN, Roketsan and HAVELSAN to move Steel Dome into large-scale serial production, as detailed in an analysis by Army Recognition Group, this milestone underlines both the acceleration of Türkiye’s naval modernisation and Ankara’s determination to rely on domestically produced air and missile defence systems.
Türkiye has begun construction of its first TF-2000 air defense destroyer at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, marking a concrete step in its Steel Dome plan to field an indigenous, layered naval air and missile defense shield (Picture Source: ASFAT)
The TF-2000 is conceived as the seaborne cornerstone of the Steel Dome, providing fleet-level air and missile defence as well as long-range strike. Designed by the Naval Forces Design Project Office (DPO) as the third major branch of the MILGEM family after the Ada-class corvettes and İstif-class frigates, the destroyer is a large surface combatant of about 8,300 tonnes, 149 metres in length and over 21 metres in beam, powered by a CODOG arrangement combining diesel engines for cruising and gas turbines for high speed, with a top speed above 26 knots and accommodation for roughly 180–210 personnel. The design incorporates a two-bay helicopter hangar sized for 10-ton naval helicopters, a flight deck able to support heavier aircraft up to 15 tonnes, and dedicated spaces for unmanned surface vessels, rotary-wing drones and mini-UAV launchers, reflecting the growing role of unmanned systems in naval warfare. Its combat system is built around national sensors and effectors: an integrated mast with phased-array radar elements derived from ASELSAN’s ÇAFRAD family, a suite of domestic sonars and electro-optical sensors, and a national MİDLAS vertical launch system capable of hosting a mix of SİPER, HİSAR-D, SAPAN and other surface-to-air missiles, alongside ATMACA anti-ship and GEZGİN land-attack cruise missiles. Barrelled weapons will include a 127 mm main gun that has already undergone initial at-sea firing on the frigate TCG Fatih, the GÖKDENİZ close-in weapon system, 25 mm remote weapon stations and lightweight torpedo tubes, all of them developed by Turkish industry.
Behind the announcement of the first block lies a long development path. The TF-2000 programme was first approved by the Defence Industry Executive Committee in 2007, with the intention to equip the Turkish Navy with a class of dedicated air-defence destroyers and ultimately to field up to eight ships. The DPO began the detailed design phase in 2019, capitalising on experience from the MILGEM corvettes and frigates and adopting a modular architecture intended to ease future upgrades. In January 2025, an earlier ceremony marked the start of steel cutting for TF-2000 alongside the MUGEM aircraft carrier and the MILDEN submarine, signalling the transition from concept to production for three of Türkiye’s most ambitious naval projects. Over the past year the design has been significantly reworked, with the adoption of an integrated mast, burial of most of the vertical launch cells within raised deck structures, infrared suppression for exhausts and a refined hull form aimed at reducing radar and thermal signatures. The current construction phase, led at Istanbul Naval Shipyard under the main contractorship of ASFAT, follows a two-step approach in which Phase 1 covers detailed design and critical subsystem production, while Phase 2 will encompass full prototype build and integration; the first ship is planned for launch around 2028 and entry into service near the end of this decade.
The TF-2000 destroyer addresses key tactical gaps through its flexible armament, featuring up to 96 indigenous vertical launch system cells positioned fore and amidships for mission-specific configurations, including long-range SİPER surface-to-air missiles for area defense, medium-range HİSAR-D and SAPAN interceptors, and specialized munitions for ballistic missile or anti-submarine threats. It enables task groups around vessels like TCG Anadolu or the future MUGEM carrier to operate under a robust high-altitude defensive umbrella, with onboard sensors and the ADVENT combat management system integrating data from allied ships, land radars, and airborne platforms to form a cohesive air picture.
Integrated into Türkiye's Steel Dome architecture via a national C4ISR framework, including HAKIM command-and-control, RAD radar management, and TURAN/T-LINK networks, the TF-2000 supports a seamless detect-decide-intercept process linking ground-based ALP radars, mobile defenses, naval sensors, and electronic warfare assets, optimizing effector allocation with AI-driven decision aids. Survivability features, such as double-hull construction, extensive compartmentalization, acoustic mitigation via engine capsules, shock resistance, cooled exhausts, reduced radar cross-section, and protected ammunition systems, ensure the vessel remains operational post-damage while minimizing detection risks.
Türkiye’s shift from paper design to block construction marks a decisive evolution in its maritime strategy. The TF-2000 destroyer program is envisioned as the backbone of a layered naval air-defense network, extending coverage across the Eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean, and the Black Sea. This capability is designed to complement the land-based Steel Dome system, which integrates 47 indigenous components, including ALP-series radars, Hisar-O and Siper missile batteries, GÜRZ multi-role units, Korkut self-propelled guns, and advanced electronic warfare and counter-drone platforms, all unified under the HAKIM-centered C4ISR architecture. The recent $6.5 billion contract package confirms that this integrated architecture has entered serial production, with naval and land-based layers advancing in parallel rather than as isolated projects.
Steel Dome has been engineered for NATO interoperability and selected as a key contribution to the Alliance’s Modular Air Defense Project, ensuring compatibility with allied systems such as Patriot while remaining predominantly designed and produced within Türkiye. This dual orientation strengthens NATO’s southeastern air picture and reinforces Ankara’s strategic autonomy in critical technology domains. At the same time, it positions Türkiye to expand defense exports, not only through MILGEM-derived surface combatants already serving or ordered by partner navies, but also through modular Steel Dome components that can be offered to friendly states seeking comprehensive layered defense solutions.
The start of block construction for the first TF-2000 air-defence destroyer marks more than a routine shipyard milestone; it crystallizes nearly two decades of design work, industrial investment, and doctrinal evolution into a tangible hull that will define Türkiye’s naval posture well into the 2050s. Coupled with the multi-billion-dollar Steel Dome expansion described by Army Recognition Group, the programme signals that Ankara is now committing the financial, technological and operational resources needed to field a dense, largely national air and missile defence shield extending from land to sea. As the Steel Dome architecture migrates from land to sea and as the Turkish Navy prepares for future carrier-centred task groups, the way this first ship is fitted out, tested and deployed will set the standard for a new generation of large surface combatants, defining how far Türkiye can project an autonomous, networked and resilient shield over its maritime approaches and expeditionary operations.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.