President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hailed Türkiye’s delivery of a corvette to Romania as the country’s first warship export to a NATO and European Union member state.
Speaking at a ceremony at Istanbul Shipyard Command, Erdoğan said the delivery of the Contraamiral Roman corvette to the Romanian Naval Forces marked a new stage in Türkiye’s defense industry and its cooperation with Romania.
The ceremony also saw the TCG Koçhisar offshore patrol vessel enter service with the Turkish Naval Forces.
“We are in the middle of an extremely chaotic period in which those who are not strong in the field may even find themselves on the menu,” Erdoğan said.
He said Türkiye had recognized the changing security environment early and had made major progress in defense industry capabilities over the past 23 years despite restrictions and embargoes.
Erdoğan said Türkiye is now the world’s 11th-largest defense exporter and one of the countries capable of building the highest number of warships at the same time.
“We are currently producing more than 50 warships, more than 15 of them for export to friendly and allied countries,” he said.
He said Türkiye had exported more than 140 naval platforms to different regions and was producing ships in several classes with a domestic contribution rate above 80 percent.
Erdoğan also said Türkiye’s MUGEM project would make it one of the few countries able to design and build its own aircraft carrier.
The systems used on the ships delivered and commissioned at the ceremony, including combat management, radar, sonar and close-in defense systems, belong to Turkish companies, Erdoğan said.
He named Aselsan, Roketsan, Havelsan, Makine Kimya and TÜBİTAK among the institutions contributing to Türkiye’s naval defense infrastructure.
Erdoğan said the Contraamiral Roman corvette reflected the will of Türkiye and Romania to strengthen security in the Black Sea and the wider region.
He also pointed to cooperation among Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria, particularly in mine countermeasures in the Black Sea.
The TCG Koçhisar will serve in missions including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, search and rescue, counter-piracy, maritime inspection and non-combat operations, Erdoğan said.
“Türkiye’s aim is not to produce tension in our region, but to strengthen peace, justice, stability and security,” he said.
