What makes the Turkish Navy so powerful? This is thanks to the rapid development of the country's defense industry
In fact, the Turkish defense industry is now attracting more and more attention from the international community
Among the frigates, the G-class is the most numerous
They are extensively modernized versions of ex- Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates of the US Navy
mainly designed for air defense with a weapons configuration that is optimized for general warfare
Eight Turkish G-class frigates were acquired from the United States around the 1990s, the former Oliver Hazard Perry class
The vessels have been in service with the Turkish Navy since 1997 and are still active to this day
G-Class has a full load displacement of approximately 4,100 tons, a length of 135.6 m, a beam of 13.7 m, and a draft of 6.7 m
Power for the class is derived from twin General Electric LM 2500-30 type gas-powered turbines
delivering up to 41,000 shaft horsepower to a single shaft
Maximum speed can be achieved up to 30 knots, range is 5,000 nmi at 18 kn
Sensors applicably include both sonar and radar systems that include an SQS-56 system and an SQR-19 towed sonar array
along with AN/SPS-49 and AN/SPS-55 radar systems
The G-class frigates have undergone a major modernization program
which included the retrofitting of a Turkish digital combat management system named GENESIS
The system was designed and implemented jointly by the Turkish Navy and HAVELSAN, a Turkish electronic hardware systems and software company
The modernization program also includes: The addition of an 8-cell Mk-41 VLS for Evolved Sea Sparrow
including the upgrade of the Mk-92 fire control system by Lockheed Martin
The retrofitting of a new advanced SMART-S Mk2 3D air search radar to replace AN/SPS-49
The ship also added a new long-range sonar
The frigates that are currently being operated by the Turkish Navy were modified with the ASIST landing platform system at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard
so that they can accommodate the S-70B Seahawk helicopter
The ship's main armament includes 32 × Evolved SeaSparrow Missile launched from Mk-41 VLS
Two triple Mark 32 Anti-submarine warfare torpedo tubes with Mark 46 or Mark 50 anti-submarine warfare torpedoes
Her anti-ship weapon is 8 × Harpoon SSM
Also included are 40 × SM-1 MR SAMs, 1 × Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS, and 1 × Oto Melara 76mm DP gun
The ship is supported by an S-70B Seahawk or AB-212 helicopter
It was expected that the 4 ships that did not receive upgrade will be decommissioned by 2025, while the remaining 4 ships will be decommissioned by 2030