STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz explained the scale of Turkey’s maritime production in the defense industry and its global targets. Güleryüz emphasized that STM plays a central role in 28 of the more than 40 military ship projects being carried out across Turkey.
Operating under the strategic leadership of the Presidency of Defence Industries of the Republic of Türkiye (SSB), STM continues its design, construction, and modernization activities in military naval platforms, increasing its operational depth on a global scale. To date, the company has successfully undertaken the management of 44 ship platforms at a total of 11 different shipyards, both domestically and abroad.
Simultaneous Operations at 8 Shipyards with Engineering Power
STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz shared critical data on the journey from the MİLGEM program to the present day, supported by a workforce of nearly 300 expert engineers. Güleryüz, who leads Turkey’s indigenous ecosystem in the military shipbuilding industry, used the following statements:
“Under the leadership of our Presidency of Defence Industries and our Naval Forces, more than 40 military ship projects are currently being carried out in Turkey. As STM, we are simultaneously at the center of the construction of 28 of these projects at 8 different shipyards. Being able to manage dozens of surface and underwater projects at the same time is a concrete indicator of our systems engineering capability and our strong ecosystem.”
A Critical Juncture in the Surface and Subsurface Portfolio
The projects managed by STM consist of strategic platforms that will enhance the Navy’s deterrence in the “Blue Homeland”:
MİLGEM I-Class: Following the delivery of TCG İSTANBUL, the construction of 7 frigates continues under the STM–TAİS OG joint venture.
National Fast Attack Craft: The construction process of Turkey’s first national fast attack craft has begun following the completion of its design phase.
Submarine Technologies: In addition to localization support provided to the Reis-Class submarines, STM is focusing on future operational concepts with the special-operations-oriented STM500 and the autonomous underwater vehicle STM NETA.
NATO Standards in Exports
Güleryüz underlined the export of a logistics support ship to Portugal, noting that this marked Turkey’s first military ship export to an EU and NATO member country. He also stated that STM achieved Turkey’s first export success in this field with the Agosta90B modernization project in Pakistan.
Future Vision: Autonomous and Swarm Systems
Özgür Güleryüz stated that STM’s vision is structured particularly around unmanned naval vehicles and autonomous systems, saying:
“Our priority is to provide our Navy with innovative and powerful platforms. With autonomous naval vehicles capable of operating in swarm and individual modes, we will further advance Turkey’s prestige in the maritime domain.”
Source: C4Defence- STM
