The test production of the pressure hull of the STM500, Türkiye’s first special operations and attack national submarine, has been successfully completed, marking the first time a private company in Türkiye has domestically manufactured the pressure hull sections of a military submarine.
The pressure hull of STM500 is being showcased for the first time at SAHA Expo.
In line with the strategic objective set for it for the “design and development of the industrial infrastructure required for the construction of naval submarines with national means”, STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş. – a developer of national and modern systems within the Turkish defence sector has passed another key milestone in Türkiye’s national submarine production adventure.
The test section production of the pressure hull of the STM500 was started in June 2022.
Commenting on the milestone, Özgür Güleryüz, General Manager of STM, stated that STM was the first engineering company in Türkiye to gain the capacity to design, build and modernise submarines.
“We set out to design a national submarine as a result of the experience acquired from the construction and modernisation projects that we have carried out for the Navies of Türkiye and Pakistan. By means of our innovative R&D approach and our own resources, we have been able to design the STM500, the first special operations and attack national submarine in our country.”
“We then rolled up our sleeves to start working on the design and production of the pressure hull of the submarine, described as the outer surface by the civilian industry, which is something never before attempted in Türkiye. We have now come to the point where we have successfully produced the first test block using national resources, demonstrating the ability of the Turkish defence sector to indigenously develop such sections for a naval submarine,” said Güleryüz.
Speaking about the high export potential of the STM500, Güleryüz said: “Representatives of the navies of various countries, particularly those with geographically shallow waters, are closely following the development of the STM500. Among the outstanding features of the STM500 are its lower price tag with respect to conventional naval submarines, and its ability to be deployed for special forces operations through its swimmer delivery vehicle. Our aim is to equip the STM500 with the national combat systems technologies being produced by Turkish defence companies, thus demonstrating the power of Turkish naval engineering.”
The shallow water diesel electric attack submarine is attracting considerable interest, especially from countries such as Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
The submarine is still in the design phase. As per the customer requirement there will an extension of the length of the vessel, but our aim is to make it below 50 meters and stand below 700 tonnes,” another official of the company said.
STM is also looking for fundings, either from the Turkish government or International customers, to carry forward the project.
30 Days Uninterrupted Deployment
The national submarine STM500 – a product of Turkish engineering – is designed to operate both in shallow waters and in blue waters. The STM500 will be equipped with advanced and modern warfare systems, and will be integrated with the necessary equipment to satisfy global tactical needs in such roles as reconnaissance and surveillance, Special Forces operations and submarine warfare operations. The STM500 will be able to perform missions of all kinds for 30 days with an eight-person Special Forces team, in addition to its 22-person crew, operating at depths greater than 200 meters.
The platform will be armed with eight heavy weight torpedoes and guided missiles, and will feature four ready-to-fire torpedo tubes. The STM500 has an overall length of 49 meters, a beam of 4.6 meters and a submerged displacement of 700 tons. The patrol speed and maximum submerged speed of the STM500 are 5 knots and 18 knots, respectively. “If required by the client, the STM500 can be equipped with an Air-Independent Propulsion System (AIP), allowing it to remain underwater for weeks without surfacing,” the official said.
STM Submarine Projects
As part of its design, construction and modernisation activities, STM is producing indigenous and flexible engineering solutions for the surface and submarine platforms of the Turkish Navy, and for those of friendly and allied nations, meeting specific needs and ensuring more effective mission performance.
Since taking on critical responsibilities in the submarine modernisation and construction projects of the Turkish Navy, STM has successfully completed the modernisation of two Ay-Class submarines in the role of main contractor in 2015, which was the first modernisation project of its kind ever undertaken by a private company in Türkiye. STM is continuing its system supply and platform integration activities as a pilot partner in the modernisation of four Preveze-Class submarines, and has also been serving since 2016 as the main contractor in the modernisation of the French-made Agosta 90B Khalid-class submarines owned by Pakistan.
The delivery of the first two submarines in the Agosta 90B Modernisation project have been completed, and STM is continuing its work on the modernisation of the third submarine in Pakistan.
In 2024, STM has also accepted responsibility for the necessary system procurement and platform integration works of the Mid-Life Modernisation Project of the Gür-Class Submarines in the inventory of the Turkish Naval Forces.
Undertaking crucial tasks in the Project for the Construction of a New Type Submarine Project (Reis Class), to be equipped with an air-independent propulsion system (AIP), STM is successfully carrying out design, engineering and system integration activities for what will become the Turkish Navy’s latest modern submarine platform. Within this project, STM has indigenized the “Section 50” – the bow section that houses the torpedo tubes (main armaments) of the submarine – which can be produced by only a few countries around the world, and has completed all deliveries under the project.
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2023. GBP. All Rights Reserved.