Turkish defence company STM General Manager Ozgur Guleryuz (R) signs an agreement during the signing ceremony for the construction of the Multifunctional Naval Platform at the Marinha Central Facilities on December 17, 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Zed Jameson/Anadolu via Getty Images)
BEIRUT — Turkish naval defense firm STM signed a contract with Portugal for two Auxiliary Oiler Replenisher and Logistics Ship (AOR+) — the first contract for naval ships between Turkey and a NATO nation — the firm said in a statement Tuesday.
“Türkiye, which is one of the 10 countries in the world that manufactures its own warships, has now started to produce these products as well as export them to our friendly and allied countries,” Turkish Secretary of Defence Industries Haluk Görgün said in the statement. “Developing strong defence and defence industry cooperation with our NATO Allies is a top priority for Türkiye.”
The ships will be able to transport and resupply naval vessels at sea with fuel, drinking water, cargo and ammunition, according to a statement by the Portuguese navy, and if necessary could aid in disaster support.
Specifically, STM said the two AOR+ vessels will be able to operate for 90 days at sea and “have the capacity to transport armored vehicles, enabling them to support joint and amphibious operations. With an aft vehicle ramp, each vessel will be capable of carrying up to 20 light tactical armored vehicles.”
Görgün added that the agreement is a step towards broader cooperation with the Portuguese navy in other areas, such as unmanned maritime vehicles, electronic warfare systems, and further shipbuilding and naval modernization projects.
The contract was signed Tuesday in Lisbon, and work on the ships is expected to begin in 2025, and the Portuguese navy said they expect delivery by 2028.
Turkey has been beefing up its naval defense sector and production capabilities in recent years with shipyards, floating docks and multi-purpose ships. In 2023, another Turkish firm, Havelsan, unveiled its unmanned submarine Caka, designed to perform infrastructure and naval protection missions.
Earlier this year, Turkish Aksaz Shipyard command was inaugurated and launched the first national submarine floating dock with a 3,000-ton lifting capacity. In November, Turkish firm Baykar’s unmanned combat aerial vehicle performed its first successful flight test to take off and land on the Turkish ship TCG Anadolu.
