Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) on TCG Oruçreis Frigate Set to Start in December 2021!
The latest information received from the 10th Naval Systems Seminar on November 15, 2021, disclosing that the BARBAROS MLU schedule has been delayed as the ship is still in active duty due to operational requirements and it is aimed that the first ship, TCG Oruçreis, will be docked at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard in December 2021. The upgrade work on TCG Oruçreis will last 16 months. The ship will be undocked in 2023 and handed over to the Turkish Naval Forces Command (TNFC) during the first half of 2023 (originally set to be completed in November 2022) following sea trials.
The BARBAROS MLU Project contract was signed between the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) and ASELSAN-HAVELSAN Business Partnership on April 3, 2018 and became effective on August 9, 2018 (Tₒ started) and represents the largest naval ship modernization project signed in the history of the Turkish Republic. Within the scope of the project, modernization activities will be carried out according to an integrated schedule at Gölcük Shipyard Command, while the activities of the first ship continue, the second ship will be docked at the shipyard.
Within the scope of the BARBAROS Class Frigates MLU Project, a System Requirements Features meeting was held during February 5-9, 2019, and the Critical Design Review (CDR) Phase was completed in 2020. According to the current schedule, the first two frigates will be delivered in 2023, the third in 2024 and the final upgraded frigate is to be delivered to the Turkish Navy in 2025. The Mid-Life Upgrade work will provide BARBAROS Class with new capabilities, while extending their service life until the 2040s.
The Turkish Navy currently operates four BARBAROS Class Multipurpose Frigates that entered service during 1997-2000; TCG Barbaros (F-244), TCG OrucReis (F-245), TCG SalihReis (F-246) and TCG KemalReis (F-247). Two of them (F-244 and F-246) were constructed by the Blohm + Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and the remaining two (F-245 and F-247) were constructed at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard in Turkey with technical support and material packages provided by the Blohm + Voss Shipyard.
The total value of the contract was not disclosed, but according to publicized information ASELSAN’s share is valued at around Euro175,783 million + TL458 million. Within the scope of BARBAROS MLU Project, the existing Combat Management System (CMS, STACOS Mod 3/TACTICOS with 12 operator consoles) will be replaced by the national network enabled CMS ‘GENESIS ADVENT’ with 20 operator consoles, and some of the existing weapons/sensors will be replaced with new ones on a one-to-one basis. According to sources since the ADVENT CMS has more consoles than the previous generation STACOS CMS, the existing Combat Information Center (CIC) on the ship will be extended by adding another room to the CIC. Moreover, the AWS-06 Dolphin radar, which is an integrated part of the Sea Guard CIWS System, is to be replaced with ASELSAN’s MAR-D AESA radar, the aged Sea Guard CIWS with three Sea Zenith four-barrelled 25mm gun mounts, are to be replaced with one Phalanx Mk-15 Block 1B Baseline 2 (to be deployed over the helicopter hangar) and one ASELSAN GÖKDENİZ 35mm CIWS (to be deployed in front of the bridge). The possibility of the deployment of 2 Phalanx Mk-15 Block 1B Baseline 2 systems as an alternative to the GÖKDENİZ Close Air Defense System (CIWS) on the first ship is also being evaluated, but a final decision has not been reached yet. According to an ASELSAN official the current configuration is progressing as if the GÖKDENİZ CIWS to be installed. Turkey has previously upgraded 11 of 17 Mk-15 Block 0 Phalanx CIWSs in the Turkish Naval Forces inventory and depots to the Mk-15 Block 1B Baseline 2 in the US.
Instead of two guns located on the port and starboard sides ASELSAN’s STOP 25 mm Remote Controlled Stabilized Naval Gun Systems will be installed. The Ku-Band TMK Tracking and Fire Control Radars, part of the Sea Guard System, will also be removed. The Dual-Band STIR Tracking and Illumination Radars will be replaced with ASELSAN’s AKREP AKR-D Dual-Band (X and Ka-Band) Naval Fire Control Radars with a range of over 120km for ESSM Block 1 missiles. While the first two BARBAROS Class (Track IIA) Frigates are equipped with 1 STIR Radar, and 1 TMX/TV-EO System, the last two BARBAROS Class (Track IIB) Frigates are equipped with 2 STIR Radars. On the existing hull mounted AN/SQS-56, the sonar will be replaced with the new generation Mid-Frequency Band (3kHz-12kHz in passive mode and 6.7kHz-8.4 kHz in active mode) active/passive FERSAH (indigenously developed by ASELSAN and ARMELSAN) Sonar System. The Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) of the first sonar were completed in 2021 summer. Meanwhile, the existing AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Decoy/Defense System is to be replaced with ASELSAN’s HIZIR Torpedo Defence System, ASELSAN’s ARES-2N(V)2 Radar ESM and AREAS-2NC Naval Electronic Attack (EA) Systems will replace existing Cutlas-1B R-ESM, and Scorpion-B R-EA Systems and an indigenous 127mm (5/54) Gun Fire Control System (for Mk45 Mod 2 Main Gun) will be integrated on the vessels. The BARBAROS Class Frigates will also be integrated with ASELSAN’s TUMSİS X-Band SatCom Terminals, ANS-510 INS System, Improved Lazer Warning System (GLIS) and PIRI-KATS IRST System as well as ROKETSAN’s ATMACA Block 1 Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles. The BARBAROS Class Frigate MLU Contract also covers the integration of ARMELSAN’s ARAS-2023 Diver Detection Sonar System on four vessels
