Türkiye expands naval presence in Black Sea and Mediterranean with new İstif-class frigate TCG İçel.

On September 1, 2025, Haluk Görgün, President of the Defence Industry Agency (SSB), announced that Türkiye launched its eighth national warship, the TCG İçel (F-518), at the Sefine Shipyard in Yalova Altınova. The vessel is the fourth İstif-class frigate produced under the MİLGEM program, which aims to develop a family of indigenous corvettes, frigates, and destroyers.
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The TCG İçel is intended to execute surveillance, reconnaissance, patrol, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, air defense, electronic warfare, search and rescue, and self-defense in sea states up to five. (Picture source: NSosyal/Haluk Görgün)

The launch ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Defence Industry Agency (SSB), deputy presidents Mustafa Murat Şeker and İhsan Kaya, Yalova Governor Hülya Kaya, representatives of the TAIS consortium and STM, subcontractors, shipyard executives, and members of the Turkish Navy. Görgün described the TCG İçel as an outcome of engineering and industrial coordination, noting that the frigate contains up to 80 percent indigenous subsystems. The event took place shortly after the Mavi Vatan Teknofest, which focused on maritime technologies, and was presented as part of Türkiye’s broader naval modernization strategy.

The construction of the TCG İçel was carried out by more than 200 institutions and companies under SSB coordination, with a local content share reported at 70–80 percent. Shipyard representatives stated that approximately 1,500 tons of steel, 350 kilometers of cabling, and more than two million man-hours of labor were required. Over 74 percent of the local share was supplied by small and medium-sized enterprises. The TCG İçel is designed for a range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, air defense, search and rescue, maritime interdiction, and support to amphibious operations. It is also intended to protect sea lines of communication, monitor and prevent irregular maritime activity, and conduct helicopter operations up to sea state four. Officials stressed that unmanned naval systems are also being developed in parallel, including surface vessels, submarines, and autonomous underwater platforms.

The TCG İçel measures 113 meters in length, 14.4 meters in beam, and has a draft of 4.05 meters with a displacement of approximately 3,200 tons. The propulsion system consists of one General Electric LM2500 gas turbine and two diesel engines driving two shafts with controllable pitch propellers, arranged in a combined diesel and gas (CODAG) configuration. This enables a maximum speed above 29 knots and an endurance of 5,700 nautical miles at 14 knots or 4,000 nautical miles at 18–19 knots. The ship can remain deployed for at least 15 days without resupply and sustain operations in sea state five. A crew of 123–125 personnel will operate the ship, which also has aviation facilities for an S-70B Seahawk helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicles, including a hangar and deck certified for helicopters up to 10 tons. The vessel carries two rigid-hulled inflatable boats for boarding and transport operations.

The combat systems of the TCG İçel are centered on domestically developed weapons, sensors, and command software. Its armament includes a 76 mm naval gun produced by MKE, a Gökdeniz 35 mm close-in weapon system, two 25 mm STOP remote weapon stations, and 16 Atmaca anti-ship missiles. For air defense, the ship uses a 16-cell MIDLAS vertical launch system designed to fire Hisar family surface-to-air missiles, with future integration of other missiles such as Siper or quad-pack Sapan considered. The frigate is also fitted with two twin 324 mm torpedo launchers for anti-submarine warfare. Sensor systems include the CENK 400-N AESA search radar, ASELSAN ALPER low probability of intercept surface radar, AKREP fire control radars, FERSAH hull-mounted sonar, and infrared and electro-optical surveillance systems. The combat management backbone is the ADVENT system developed by HAVELSAN. Protection against torpedoes is provided by the HIZIR countermeasure suite, while the ARES 2N electronic support measures and AREAS 2C countermeasures provide electronic warfare capability.

During the ceremony, senior officials pointed out that Türkiye is simultaneously constructing more than 30 military ships of different types, ranging from smaller craft to large combatants, across both military and civilian shipyards. This includes corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, frigates, and destroyers, with the İstif-class forming a bridge between the earlier Ada-class corvettes and the planned TF-2000 air defense destroyers. The İstif-class ships are therefore integrated into a wider modernization path that extends beyond manned combatants. Also known as the I-class or İstanbul-class, this class represents the second development stage of the Turkish Navy’s MİLGEM national warship program, following the Ada-class anti-submarine corvettes. The program was originally designated TF-100 under the MİLGEM-G framework and was planned as a larger derivative of the Ada design. The aim was to expand the hull length and displacement in order to provide greater endurance, larger fuel capacity, and enhanced combat capabilities compared to the corvettes. These frigates were conceived to replace the aging Yavuz-class platforms in the Turkish fleet and to offer multirole functionality covering anti-submarine, anti-surface, air defense, surveillance, and electronic warfare missions.

Compared to the Ada-class, the İstif-class includes about 50 percent more fuel capacity, which extends the operational range of the ships, and doubles the number of anti-ship missiles carried. It is also the first Turkish-designed class to be fitted with the indigenous MIDLAS vertical launch system, which replaces the foreign-supplied Mk 41 VLS and is designed to fire the Hisar family of surface-to-air missiles, with future compatibility for Siper and other systems. The decision to integrate a fully domestic launcher reflects both operational requirements and the need to reduce reliance on external suppliers. By 2025, four vessels of the class had reached advanced stages of construction and launch. TCG İstanbul (F-515), the lead ship, was commissioned in January 2024 after being launched in 2021. The program was then expanded, with contracts signed in 2023 to cover additional ships, bringing the total planned number to eight.

It was followed by the launches of TCG İzmir (F-516) and TCG İzmit (F-517) in January 2025. On September 1, 2025, the TCG İçel (F-518) became the fourth ship to be launched, completing the first batch of four. The second batch consists of TCG Akdeniz (F-519), TCG Karadeniz (F-520), TCG Ege (F-521), and TCG Marmara (F-522), all of which are in different stages of assembly as of 2025. Officials confirmed that the experience from these ships informs the TF-2000 destroyer project, which is expected to provide long-range area air defense. The İstif-class also increases missile capacity compared to Ada-class corvettes, carrying 16 Atmaca missiles instead of eight, and is the first class fitted with the national vertical launching system.

Exports form an additional dimension of the program. MİLGEM corvettes have already been sold to Pakistan, Ukraine, and Malaysia, and Türkiye signed a contract with Indonesia on July 26, 2025, for two İstif-class frigates. Indonesia is the first announced foreign customer for this class, with the ships expected to follow a similar configuration to Turkish Navy vessels. According to reports, deliveries may involve transferring ships already under construction to accelerate handover. This order makes the İstif-class part of Türkiye’s wider export strategy in naval shipbuilding, which ranges from corvettes to potential aircraft carriers. The launch of the TCG İçel illustrates the continuation of the MİLGEM program’s dual purpose of equipping the Turkish Navy and sustaining an export-oriented defense industrial base.