Turkey's national engineering power at sea, STM, won the Portuguese Navy Logistics Support Ship tender, leaving behind the world's leading military maritime companies. The construction of 2 Fleet Replenishment and Logistics Support Ships will be built in Turkey with STM as the prime contractor. With STM, Turkey has exported military ships to a European Union (EU) and NATO member country for the first time.
STM Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc., which develops innovative and national systems in the Turkish Defense Industry, has achieved another historic export success on behalf of the Turkish Defense Industry. STM, which participated in the Logistics Support Ship tender opened by the Portuguese Navy, left the world's leading military maritime companies behind. The Portuguese Navy decided that the engineering solution provided by STM was the most successful solution and STM won the project. With STM, Turkey exported military ships to an EU and NATO member country for the first time.
Within the scope of the Auxiliary Oiler Replenisher and Logistics Ship Project, two ships will be designed with STM as the prime contractor and built in a private shipyard in Turkey.
Signatures Were Signed in Lisbon
The contract signing ceremony for the Navy Replenishment and Logistics Support Ship Project, which will increase cooperation between Turkey and Portugal, was held in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on December 17, 2024. The ceremony was attended by the President of Defense Industries Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, the Commander of the Portuguese Naval Forces Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, the Portuguese Defense Industries Agency (IdD) Carlos Félix, the Vice President of Defense Industries Prof. Dr. İhsan Kaya, the General Manager of STM Özgür Güleryüz, representatives of the Portuguese Ministry of Defense and the Portuguese Naval Forces.
Görgün: First Defense Project between Türkiye and Portugal
Speaking at the ceremony, Defense Industry President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün gave the following messages in summary: “The defense industry of Turkey, represented here today by STM, has grown significantly in recent years. Turkey, one of the 10 countries in the world that produces its own warships, has now begun to produce these platforms and export them to friendly and allied countries. Developing strong defense and defense industry cooperation with our NATO allies is among the most important priorities for Turkey.
“The two tanker supplies we signed today for the Portuguese Navy also constitute the first defense procurement project between Portugal and Turkey. We also see this agreement as a step towards greater cooperation in other areas such as unmanned marine vehicles, electronic warfare systems and further shipbuilding and naval modernization projects. We look forward to working together to deliver timely, high-quality results that will help the Portuguese Navy meet its operational needs in the coming years.”
Güleryüz: Our First Military Ship Export to an EU and NATO Member Country
STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz stated that they successfully represent the Turkish defense industry in the world arena and said, “While we strengthen the Turkish Navy with our domestic and national platforms, we are undertaking various surface and submarine projects for Ukraine, Malaysia and Pakistan.”
Güleryüz stated that they have successfully completed important projects in the field of Logistics Support Ships and continued as follows:
“The Fleet Replenishment Tanker PNS MOAWIN, which we designed for the Pakistani Navy, has been serving as a logistics support and flagship since 2018. We have built and delivered two Logistics Support Ships for the Turkish Navy. These ships are participating in many international naval operations, including NATO. Today, we are proud to sign the contract for the ‘Auxiliary Oiler Replenisher and Logistics’ ships, which will increase defense cooperation between Turkey and Portugal.
This milestone also has the distinction of being Turkey’s first military ship export to a European Union and NATO member country. We are happy to have made our country proud and to have shown Turkish military ship engineering to the world. It is a source of honor for us that Portugal, a pioneering nation in the field of maritime history, has the vision of wanting a modern ship that is in line with the requirements of the age and that they have chosen Turkey and STM for this need.”
Versatile Task Function
Providing information about the ships to be developed under the prime contractor STM, Güleryüz said, “They will have an original design and modular architecture that will best meet the strategic goals and operational requirements of the Portuguese Navy. With their innovative design and versatile mission function, the Logistic Support Ships will be able to perform joint power transfer, amphibious operations and replenishment at sea functions. They will have high speed and cargo capacity compared to similarly sized ships. The ships will be built in Turkey under the prime contractor STM. We will start the construction of the ships in 2025.”
They Will Refuel at Sea, Carry Armored Vehicles, and Provide Logistics Support
The construction of the Fleet Replenishment and Logistics Support Ships, which are considered an important project in terms of demonstrating the level that Turkey has reached in military naval engineering, includes a modular design. In addition to providing logistic support, transferring fuel and cargo at sea, the ships will also be able to serve in joint power transfer and amphibious operations with their armored vehicle carrying capacity. The ships will be able to carry up to 20 light tactical armored vehicles.
Thanks to their modular, unique and versatile designs, the ships will also perform tasks such as humanitarian aid, search and rescue, and hospital in times of crisis. Equipped with an integrated communication system, these ships will also have command and control capabilities.
90 Days Uninterrupted Duty Period
The ships, which will be 137 meters long, have a displacement of 11000 tons, and have a maximum speed of 18+ knots, will be able to remain at sea continuously for 90 days. The ships, which will have the capacity to accommodate 100 personnel in addition to 100 external personnel in total, will be able to carry up to 20 light tactical armored vehicles. It will include sensors and weapon systems for all basic types of warfare, especially air defense warfare. The ships will be equipped with close-in air defense systems, 12.7 mm remote-controlled weapon systems and chaff/dekoy systems, and will include a large number of advanced sensors and systems. The ships will also have platforms for helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and hangars for UAVs.
