As of 27 September 2019, the contract for the procurement of the 5th MILGEM (I-Class Frigate) which is the first ship in this concept was signed between the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries and STM A.Ş. and the project calendar was launched.

Among its ventures, STM, a leading Turkish defense company that carried out warship building and modernization activities at home and abroad, has carried out productive work with almost 300 network suppliers and more than 400 subcontractors.

Two-thirds of about 80 subcontractors supplying the Istanbul-class frigate system are composed of indigenous companies.

Turkey began to work on a fifth vessel, the Istanbul-class frigate, as part of its National Ship (MILGEM) project, following the completion of the fourth warship, the TCG Kinaliada, which entered service in 2019.

If the MILGEM (ADA Class) corvettes in the platform systems achieve approximately 72 percent locality threshold (except for the main propulsion system), it is intended to increase indigenization for the I Class frigates by at least %75.

It is expected that Turkey 's national warship will enter service in September 2023.

Maritime Business World