STM published the Marine Projects document, revealing a small submarine design called the STM500. At the 10th Naval Systems Seminar, it was announced that the construction of the STM500 small-sized submarine is planned to start in 2022.
Today, President of Defence Insturies Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir said;
“Historical step in our national submarine adventure! We are starting the production of the #STM500 submarine, which was designed by Turkish engineers with national resources, with the test production of a durable boat. The STM500 is designed to be able to operate in both open sea and shallow waters. The STM500 will be equipped with advanced and modern warfare systems, which will contain equipment that will meet tactical needs such as reconnaissance and surveillance, special forces operations, and submarine warfare.”
The STM500 design stands out with its submerged displacement of 540 tons and being a small submarine. Submarines currently used by the Turkish Navy have a displacement of 1100 to ~1600 tons in submerged condition. Reis class submarines, which are still in production, are expected to have a displacement of over 2000 tons in submerged condition.
Regarding the design of the STM500, whose conceptual design was developed for shallow waters, is a diesel-electric attack submarine, Defence Turk writer Kozan Selçuk Erkan evaluates it as follows:
“Small submarines are now a very emerging market in the military class. The Qataris are currently getting the Italians to build mini-submarines for the Persian Gulf. The French also have a study on this subject. It would be appropriate for Turkey to work on small submarines as cost-effective, much smaller, much quieter and more technologically accessible class in terms of our capabilities to be used in the Aegean Sea, Black Sea Cyprus and coastal regions. Submarines in this class are ideal carriers for infiltration operations in coastal areas.
It is very difficult for any warship to perform underwater scanning with hull-mounted or towed sonar, especially in shallow waters and offshore areas with islets. The feature of this submarine is that it can operate extremely comfortably in the seas in question with its small dimensions.”
Güleryüz: STM500 has high export potential
STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz said,
“As the first engineering company with submarine construction and modernization capability in Turkey, we have reached another historical milestone. We are proud to start the durable hull test production of our STM500 submarine, the work of our national engineering. I congratulate all my teammates who contributed to our STM500 submarine, which has a high export potential, and I thank our PDI Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir for their support.”
Uninterrupted Deployment for 30 days
The small-sized domestic submarine STM500 which is the work of Turkish engineers, is designed to be able to operate both in shallow waters and in open sea conditions. The STM500, which will contain equipment that will meet the global tactical needs such as reconnaissance and surveillance, special forces operations, and submarine warfare, will be equipped with advanced and modern warfare systems. The STM500 will be able to perform all kinds of missions for 30 days with its 8-person special forces team in addition to its 18-person crew. The platform will have a total of 8 heavy torpedo and guided missile firing power with 4 ready-to-fire torpedo tubes.
Negotiations continue for the STM500, which attracts attention abroad. Turkey continues to work in submarine technologies, which is a strategic field, as well as in aviation and space technologies, with the leadership of STM and the participation of domestic industry.
