Characteristics
The project is generally described as the subclasses of multi-purpose warships capable of sustaining a sea war in a littoral combat environment.
MİLGEM Project Office (MPO) of the Turkish Navy Research and Development Center Command (ARMERKOM) designed and developed the vessel platform. MİLGEM's design concept covers a multipurpose patrol warship, which can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, target identification, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare, and amphibious operations. It features a steel hull and fragmentation resistant composite superstructure. Fore and aft masts and the funnel have been constructed with sea resistant aluminium alloys. The class ships are designed to fully operate at sea state 5 and partially operate at sea state 6. Reduction and management of the ship signatures was taken as the major input during the whole design phase. Many classified precautions were taken in order to reduce hydrodynamic, acoustic, magnetic, IR, radar signatures, and therefore, to achieve the specified level of stealth feature. Collective Protection Zones are designed to ensure the ships ability under NBC conditions. Locally designed degaussing system minimizes the magnetic signature for protection against the magnetic mines.
The design concept and mission profile of the MİLGEM class bears similarities with the Freedom class littoral combat ship developed by Lockheed Martin as the first member of the next generation of USN warships, though the MİLGEM class corvettes are more heavily armed, while the LCS-1 has a higher speed and variable mission modules.
GENESIS, a network-centric combat management system contracted for the two ships on May 23, 2007, was developed by Havelsan. The MİLGEM class warships have an indigenous hull mounted sonar developed by the Scientific and Technological Research Foundation of Turkey. Sonar dome has been developed and produced by ONUK-BG Defence Systems, extensively employing nano-enhanced Fiber Reinforced Polymer. The class features a digital chart precise integrated navigation system (ECPINS) supplied by OSI Geospatial. Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), delivered by Yaltes JV, monitors and controls machinery, auxiliary systems, electrical power generation and distribution. The main systems integrated in IPMS include a power management system, fire detection system, fire fighting and damage control system, CCTV system and stability control system.
Read more about this topic: Milgem Class Corvette