What to make of Turkey’s ambitious naval buildup
As Turkey moves from regional primacy to a more prominent global role, it is working to strengthen its naval forces.
Turkey aims to become one of the most powerful navies in the global arena as it plans to put more than 40 new submarines and surface combatants into service by the late 2030s. But experts believe that as Ankara engages in a massive naval buildup, it must set priorities in line with lessons learned from the war in Ukraine as well as other emerging threats and challenges.
At present, the Turkish navy possesses 16 frigates, four corvettes, 10 minesweepers, 20 patrol boats and 12 submarines. The priority is to modernize its existing fleets, but especially the submarines and the surface combatants while also bolstering the force with unmanned drones.
Turkey plans to use the experiences from the recently launched Reis class of submarines for its national submarine project, known as MILDEN, that will commence in the late 2020s. By the time the six Reises and planned eight MILDENs are in service in the late 2030s (and the older ones retire), Turkey will boast a submarine fleet of at least 20 units, which will help Ankara maintain its place among the top 10 sub-surface forces in the world in terms of units.
Taken together with the total of 25 or so surface vessels that will join the fleet between now and the late 2030s under the national warship project, known as MILGEM, as well as the rapidly expanding inventory of unmanned naval and aerial drones, the Turkish navy hopes to become the mainstay of Turkey’s regional and global geopolitical vision.
