Turkish Navy to address capability gaps with new OPV launches
The first OPV, Akhisar P 1220, enters the waters at the ASFAT launch event on 23 September (Photo: ASFAT).
Turkey is asserting it naval shipbuilding credentials and place as a major maritime power with the delivery of three ships in one day.
Turkish defence company ASFAT launched two new Akhisar-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), Akhisar (P 1220) and Kochisar (P 1221), for the Turkish Navy at an event on 23 September 2023.
Meanwhile on the same day at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, the first of four new Babur-class corvettes, PN Babur (F280) was delivered to the Pakistan Navy.
Shephard reported in April 2022 that construction on the Akhisar-class OPVs had started following the completion of a critical design review. At 108.2m-long and displacing 2,985t they are on the large size for an OPV and have an armament comparable to a corvette including an
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