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Türkiye has begun construction of its first indigenous submarine, marking a significant step in the country’s growing domestic defense industry.
The Defense Ministry said on Thursday that work on the National Submarine (MILDEN) had officially started with the construction of its first test block at the Golcuk Naval Shipyard Command.
The announcement came shortly after contractors began building the first block of the TF-2000 naval air defense destroyer at the Istanbul Shipyard Command, which will form part of the planned “Steel Dome” multilayered air defense system.
NATO member Türkiye has expanded its defense manufacturing capacity and reduced dependence on foreign suppliers in recent years.
Last week, the ministry noted that work had begun on the indigenous TF-2000 destroyer, further strengthening Ankara’s naval capabilities alongside the new submarine program.
The ministry also said that ASFAT, which operates under its jurisdiction, had signed an agreement with Romania’s Defense Ministry to export one Akhisar light corvette, marking Türkiye's first sale of a corvette warship to a NATO ally.
The deal was announced during the ministry’s weekly briefing.
The ministry recalled that the Kizilelma unmanned warplane, developed by Baykar, recently destroyed an airborne target in the Black Sea using the Aselsan-produced Murad AESA radar and the Gokdogan beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by TUBITAK SAGE.
Türkiye has widened its defense capabilities over the past two decades, developing drones, naval platforms and land vehicles while reducing foreign dependence.
The Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) said last week that Turkish defense companies had signed $6.5 billion in contracts to reinforce and develop the “Steel Dome” air system.
A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) also showed that Türkiye added one more company to the list of the world’s top 100 weapons makers as global arms sales rose to a new record last year.
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