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Romania will acquire the Turkish naval vessel TCG Akhisar (P-1220) directly from the Turkish navy for €223 million ($259 million) plus value-added tax (VAT), according to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, reported by HotNews.
The HISAR-class light corvette will be equipped with NSM anti-ship missiles and HISAR-D air defense systems, marking the first export of the Turkish-made air defense system.
The vessel will also feature an MKE-produced 76/62 mm naval gun, representing also the first export of this weapon system. Delivery of the vessel is expected within six months after the agreement is signed, subject to Romanian Parliament approval.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense stated the total value for achieving operational capability is approximately €265 million ($308.5M), excluding VAT, without the NSM ship-to-ship missile launch system.
"The estimated acquisition value of the vessel from Türkiye, in its current configuration, is approximately €223 million, excluding VAT. The delivery time is extremely short: almost 6 months, in the current configuration," the Romanian Ministry of Defense stated.
"The vessel will then be equipped with combat systems requested by the Naval Forces, in a Romanian shipyard," the ministry added.
The vessel will retain its HISAR-RF system, making Romania the first NATO user of this air defense technology. TCG Akhisar is the first maritime patrol vessel of the Hisar class. The vessel was launched in 2023 and entered service with the Turkish Naval Forces in December 2024.
The vessel measures 99.5 meters in length, has a displacement of 2,300 tons, and carries a crew of 104 sailors with a combined diesel-electric propulsion system.
The vessel reaches a maximum speed of 24 knots (45 kilometers per hour) and has an operational range of 8,300 kilometers with an endurance of 21 days at sea.
"The light corvette-type vessel is equipped with modern navigation and communications systems and also has a very wide range of sensors and state-of-the-art weapons systems, which ensures the vessel has high combat potential in all combat environments. It has a hangar that provides facilities for a medium helicopter and an unmanned aircraft," the defense ministry detailed.
The vessel comes with an MKE 76/62 mm gun and an Aselsan GOKDENIZ 35 mm anti-aircraft gun.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense said the urgent need to have at least one modern vessel in the Black Sea led Romania to turn to Türkiye, a NATO member state and Black Sea partner.
However, Turkish defense enthusiasts express concern about Türkiye's need to replace old platforms with modern platforms, such as HISAR-class vessels, too.
After expanding its regional activities, Ankara has been searching for a cost-effective platform that can perform missions at sea. While frigates and corvettes with high tonnage and weapons load do not offer such cost-effectiveness, the HISAR-class maritime patrol vessels are designed exactly for Türkiye's needs, especially in the Aegean.
Although the fact that the sale was made directly by the Turkish navy and not by ASFAT may indicate that the navy does not have an "urgent need". The Turkish navy is undergoing a serious modernization and in this period of increasing tension in the world, every country aims to add new products to its inventory as soon as possible.
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