STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz answered Anadolu Agency’s questions about recent works. Güleryüz stated that the unmanned underwater autonomous vehicle project STM announced at IDEF’23 is advancing. Commenting that the prototype will be fully revealed at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024, Güleryüz said, “Our aim with this platform is to demonstrate feasibility. We are trying to build different infrastructures where we can change the job descriptions a lot. In the first stage, we aim to use it for mine detection and clearance.”
When asked about the STM500, Turkiye’s first shallow-water diesel-electric attack submarine project, Güleryüz stated that they have been producing pressure hull for a while and are assembling certain parts and blocks. Güleryüz noted that they plan to promote the submarine by sharing the roadmap. Güleryüz said, “STM500 is the project that excites us the most. This project will be our first step in the ‘national submarine’. Our work continues intensively, and we have brought the STM500 to certain stages without any problems so far.”
Answering the question about the delivery preparations of Turkiye’s first national frigate, TCG ISTANBUL (F-515), Güleryüz said that they will deliver the I-class frigate to the Naval Forces in the 100th anniversary of the Republic. Güleryüz said, “We will certainly deliver; only the issues of when the ceremony will occur are being evaluated. The tests are extremely successful. The biggest problem there is that all the systems that can be produced locally in the İ class are being locally produced to the maximum extent. There are new systems that were not available in our corvettes before. Their tests may take time.”
