According to Deputy Admiral Mehmet Sari, deputy head of the shipbuilding department of the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Turkey-based military companies have begun to develop a submarine of the MILDEN project. This will be the first Turkish-developed submarine will be delivered to the fleet by 2040.
In August 2014, the Turkish government adopted a program providing for the active development of the military-industrial complex and the development of original types of weapons and military equipment that could compete in the world market with American and Russian models.
Thanks to this program, the Turkish authorities expect to significantly reduce the country’s dependence on imported weapons, as well as increase military exports.
The MILDEN project involves the creation of a diesel-electric submarine with an air-independent power plant. The ship will receive heavy torpedoes and guided missiles. The project plans to use the experience gained by Turkish enterprises in the construction of modified Type 214 German submarines for Indonesia.
An agreement on the joint construction of submarines for Indonesia was signed in 2017 between the German developer Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft and the Turkish government. In addition, Aselsan, a Turkey-based military electronics company, is one of the suppliers of Type 214 submarine equipment being built for Ankara at the Turkish shipyard in Gölkük.
Other details about the project of a promising Turkish submarine have not yet been disclosed.
Currently, the Turkish Navy has 12 submarines of the Atilay, Prevez and Gyur types. These ships were built according to the German project Type 209.
