The Romanian MoD stated to journalists that the Turkish Hisar-class OPV TCG Akhisar (P-1220) will be acquired to fill the gap of a modern patrol ship quickly.
Wanting to protect its important assets in the Black Sea, such as the Neptun Deep natural gas platform, with a modern ship with patrolling capabilities, Romania has turned to the TCG Akhsiar OPV of the Turkish Navy.
HotNews.ro reported that TCG Akhisar will be acquired for a cost of €223 million and be fitted with weaponry of Romania’s choice. The ships will receive Kongsberg NSM anti-ship missile integration for a cost of €42 million, marking the first foreign main weapon integration on the Hisar-class.
Previously, the possibility of Romania acquiring TCG Akhisar was brought up in 2025 spring by Romanian sources.
Hisar-class OPVs
Hisar-class OPVs are developed from the MİLGEM Ada-class corvettes with minimal structural changes but significant changes to the onboard systems, including propulsion for patrol duties.
The OPVs feature CODELOD propulsion, which provides low fuel consumption at lower speeds for a significant increase in endurance to 21 days from Ada-class corvettes’ 14 days.
The sensor suite replaces the parent design’s SMART-S Mk2 searching radar with the less costly MAR-D (CENK 200-N) radar.
The armament of the Hisar-class follows the Fitted For but Not With (FFBNW) concept, which gives provisions for extra armament like anti-ship missiles, air defence missiles, and CIWS. The minimum armament seen on the first batch of OPVs includes an MKE Denizhan 76 mm naval gun and two TARGAN 12.7 mm RCWS.
Although the sale of TCG Akhisar to another country had previously been reported, the buyer had not been officially named. Turkish officials, who confirmed to TurDef the existence of talks with Romania, noted that negotiations had not yet been concluded. They added that Romania still had steps to complete and that the most concrete development on the matter is expected to come during next week’s IDEF exhibition.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
