Turkey’s third MILGEM corvette ‘Burgazada’ starts trials

Turkish Navy’s third MILGEM corvette Burgazada (F-513) got underway from the Istanbul Naval Shipyard earlier this month to start her first sea trials.

TCG Burgazada was launched on June 18, 2016, after starting construction in December 2014.

According to the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM), the Ada-class corvette is set to be delivered to the Turkish Navy between June and September this year.

The fourth of a total of 12 planned ships in the class, future TCG Kinali, was launched on July 3, 2017, while the first two, TCG Heybeliada and TCG Buyukada, are already in service.

Construction has also started on the first of the second batch of MILGEM warships. These ships will be classified as frigates instead of corvettes as they will be slightly larger than the first four units.

Ada-class corvettes are designed to embark ASW/ASUW helicopters and are fitted with Harpoon missiles and a 76 mm gun.

Employing the CODAG propulsion system, the 99.5-meter ships are capable of achieving speeds of around 29 knots. They are fitted with the indigenously-developed combat management system GENESİS which is also used on Turkey’s eight G-class frigates.