Türkiye recently held the “Keel Laying Ceremony” for the second MİLGEM Corvette that they have built for the Ukrainian Navy.
Under the main contract of STM, Türkiye continues to construct corvette-type naval warships for the Ukrainian Navy. Ukraine had placed a definite order with Türkiye for two MİLGEM Corvettes and two more is still an option. The first corvette was launched last year.
The construction of the second corvette has started in March of this year and recently, STM held a keel-laying ceremony for the second corvette with four blocks already on the slipway.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence delegation, consisting of representatives from Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the first ship’s crew , attended the ceremony. The Ukrainian Navy emphasized that the construction processes of both of the Ukrainian MILGEM corvettes continue in accordance with the schedule.
However, Ukraine is predicted to increase its MİLGEM ADA Class Corvette order to four. According to Vasyl Bodnar, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Ankara, who commented on the issue, “We have a memorandum of understanding signed earlier for 4 corvettes, and this is subject to the situation on the front line. We will observe how the construction proceeds and identify suitable locations for it.
Another consideration was to continue the construction at Ukrainian shipyards. However, due to ongoing military operations and risks, it is probable that the corvettes will be built in Türkiye.”
⚓️Ukrayna Korvet Projesinin önemli bir adımını daha geride bıraktık ve STM olarak proje kapsamındaki ikinci geminin kızağa koyma aşamasını da başarıyla tamamladık. 🇺🇦🇹🇷#STMSavunma pic.twitter.com/Qq0UivOoGW
— STM🇹🇷 (@STMDefence) August 18, 2023
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Source: TurkishDefenceNews.com