The Turkmen Armed Forces commissioned its first Turkmen-class corvette, the “Deniz Han” (pennant number 01), at Turkmenbashi Naval Base on August 11. The corvette’s commanding officer welcomed the President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov onboard and hoisted the national flag to signify the ship’s commissioning into the Turkmen fleet during the ceremony. The ship is believed to have been built in co-operation with the Turkish joint venture between the Gülhan and Dearsan shipyards as part of a deal signed during the 2019 International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul.
The Turkmen-class corvette is not Turkey’s first naval ship export to Turkmenistan. Dearsan Shipyard built 10 Serhet-class patrol boats for the Turkmen fleet in the last decade, which are more armed versions of Turkey’s Tuzla-class patrol boats. Deniz Han is expected to assume the flagship role of the Turkmen fleet. the ship has a 3D air/surface suarch radar, hull-mounted sonar, infrared search&track system (IRST), electronic support & countermeasure system, and torpedo countermeasure system. In terms of protecting rights and interests in Turkmenistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, the new corvette is expected to be a force multiplier in the Caspian Sea.
Deniz Han has a total length of 91.4 meters, a beam of 14.4 meters, and a displacement of approximately 1,600 tonnes. The corvette is armed with a 1 x 8 MBDA Otomat Mk 2 anti-ship missile system, a 76 mm Leonardo Super Rapid Gun, and a 35 mm Turkish Roketsan Gokdeniz Close-in Weapon System. Deniz Han has become the first naval ship fitted with Gokdeniz CIWS. She is equipped with a 16-cell vertical launching system capable of launching VL MICA short-range anti-aircraft missiles. In addition, Deniz Han is outfitted with torpedo launchers as well as ASW rocket launchers.
