Date: Issue 106 - May 2021
The TCG PiriReis Submarine, which is planned to reach full operational capability in 2022, will undergo Factory Acceptance (FAT), Harbour Acceptance (HAT), and Sea Acceptance (SAT) Tests, respectively, following the completion of outfitting activities. Speaking on March 24, 2021, at the İTÜ SAVTEK 2021 Conference, Head of the SSB Naval Platforms Department Alper KÖSE stated that they are working on completing the delivery of the TCG PiriReis Submarine by the end of 2021. The construction, outfit, FAT, HAT, and SAT activities of each REİS Class Submarine will last for 62 months in total. It was previously announced that HAT activities will be completed in 9 months and SAT activities in 11 months. In this case, a shortened and accelerated HAT and SAT process will take place for TCG PiriReis, which was launched on March 22, in order to reach the timeline of 2021 year end. I believe that such an action could have severe consequences for the first vessel of its Class.
While the construction activities of TCG PiriReis (S-330), the first submarine of the project, started in October 2015, the construction activities of the second submarine TCG HızırReis (S-331, expected to be delivered in 2023), started in 2016. The third submarine TCG MuratReis (S-332, expected to be delivered in 2024) laid down on February 25, 2018; the fourth submarine TCG AydınReis (S-333, expected to be delivered in 2025) laid down on November 4, 2018; and the fifth submarine TGC SeydialiReis (S-334, expected to be delivered in 2026) laid down on December 22, 2019. I do not have any information about when the construction activities started on TCG SelmanReis (S-335), which is the last submarine of the project. Havelsan had delivered the Submarine Information Distribution System, which will be used in TCG SelmanReis, to Gölcük Naval Shipyard Command for installation at the beginning of March 2021.