SONITUS has delievered a stern boat deployment and recovery system for Turkiye’s Hisar class OPVs being built by ASFAT. The system will ensure safe operation of RHIBs and other complaitable platforms from the stern section of the ship. The company has gotten a spotlight with NARVAL, the first underwater glider to be made in Turkiye during SAHA EXPO 2022.
🔴🇹🇷Boat recovery system for Hisar class OPVs from SONITUS pic.twitter.com/I7iiDNUR4n
— Defence Turk English (@Defence_Turk_EN) May 25, 2023
Conventional systems use ropes to catch and recover the ship which gives birth to risk of the rope breaking off during recovery process which involves pulling the boat inside through a narrow opening. SONITUS aims to solve this issue with its new system providing a safer and quicker recovery which is approved by the Turkish Lloyd.
However, SONITUS’s delieveries for the project isn’t only limited to boat recovery systems. SONITUS has also delievered the helicopter recovery/transfer system for the Hisar class OPVs. First units have been delievered to ASFAT in April 2023. ASFAT Naval Platforms Director Emre Koray Gençsoy announced the delievery with a thanks to SONITUS:
“Helicopter Recovery and Transfer System was a critical system that had to be developed and delievered within the scope of OPV Project’s narrow timeline because of the ongoing embargoes. Requests had been made to companies with TUBITAK Technology Readiness Level 6 involving the capability demonstrations where different sized UAVs would be recovered by cameras. Two companies managed to achieve this in a shorter time than planned.
Then there was the rail system which have been manafuctured by 2-3 countries only. There were doubts regarding our capability to develop the system. The rail systems were readied for the tests in 3 months with metallurgic studies and certification from the Turkish Lloyd. There are companies here which don’t only analyse but also apply their work in the field and we can comfortably communicate with. I congrulate the SONITUS family for their success.”
Hisar class OPVs are expected to make up the main bulk of Turkish Navy with their reasonable costs and high modularity by replacing the Burak class corvettes and other aging patrol ships. However, beyond the operational value, Hisar class is also a new ground for new ideas and private sector. SONITUS’s involvement in vehicle recovery components of the ship is a good example of private sector’s growing influence and capabilities.
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