The production of at least one corvette under a contract between Turkey and Turkmenistan appears under to be underway.
Open source information, posted on Russian online forums, indicates that construction of a corvette is ongoing at a facility near Turkmenbashi, in Turkmenistan. Google Earth satellite imagery from March 2020 shows part of the hull of a warship being constructed at the facility.
Rumors of the sale began emerging in the first half of 2019. In August of that year, a number of media outlets reported that the Turkmen Navy had inked a deal with two Turkish shipyards for the procurement of one corvette. The two shipyards – Gülhan Shipyard and Dearsan Shipyard – would support the production of the corvette in Turkmenistan through a joint venture.
Google Earth satellite imagery reveals that the facility where the vessel is being produced was expanded in the last year. Expansion work had begun as of June 2019 and was completed by March 2020.
The vessel will be considered part of the “Turkmen” class. While only one is reportedly on order, the Turkmen Navy may increase the size of the purchase later on.
There has been some discrepancy on the size of the warship, with some reports claiming it is 65 meters while others have suggested it will be 92 meters. The satellite imagery appears to confirm that the corvette will be around 92 meters long.
Turkmenistan has often turned to Turkey to fill its warship requirements, purchasing six fast attack craft from Dearsan Shipyard as well as 10 of the larger Tuzla-class patrol vessels, all of which are currently in service.
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
