Turkey’s National Fast Attack Craft Hull Revealed at Istanbul Shipyard, Sea Trials Targeted for 2028
Turkey’s first entirely indigenously designed fast attack craft has broken cover at the İstanbul Denizcilik A.Ş. shipyard, with a ceremony on August 9, 2026 revealing the hull and superstructure for the first time. Prime contractor STM says the build remains on schedule for sea trials to begin in 2028.
At a Glance
- Program: National Fast Attack Craft (FAC) — known domestically as Millî Hücumbot
- Prime contractor: STM, built at İstanbul Denizcilik A.Ş. shipyard
- Contract signed September 9, 2024; first steel cut July 8, 2025
- August 9, 2026: hull and superstructure shown publicly for the first time, construction on track
- Armament: LEVENT or GÖKSUR short-range air defense missiles
- Combat management system: HAVELSAN ADVENT
- Crew of just 36 thanks to extensive automation
- Sea trials targeted for 2028
Background: Turkey’s First Fully Domestic Attack Craft Design
Led by the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), the National Fast Attack Craft project aims to give the Turkish Navy its first attack boat platform engineered entirely in-house. A contract for a prototype vessel was signed between SSB and STM on September 9, 2024, with the first steel-cutting ceremony — marking the physical start of construction — held on July 8, 2025. The first hull block was laid down in a keel-laying ceremony the following September.
At an event held at the İstanbul Denizcilik A.Ş. shipyard on August 9, 2026, photos and footage showed the vessel’s hull and superstructure taking shape in the background — the clearest public sign yet that construction is well advanced. STM confirmed the first-of-class vessel remains on track for sea trials to begin in 2028.
Design-wise, the FAC is built for shallow-water operations, with a low radar cross-section and the ability to fire in demanding sea states. For close-in defense it will carry either the LEVENT or GÖKSUR missile system, with all sensors and weapons tied into HAVELSAN’s ADVENT combat management system. Heavy automation is expected to let the ship operate with a crew of just 36 — a notably lean complement for the class.
Regional Impact
The FAC extends a run of Turkish indigenous naval programs that already includes the MİLGEM corvette family, the TF-2000 destroyer and the national submarine effort. A successful build gives STM a fully home-grown product in the fast-attack-craft segment for the first time, opening a potential export line alongside its existing corvette and OPV business. Pairing the ADVENT combat system with LEVENT/GÖKSUR missiles on one hull is also a concrete step in Turkey’s push to localize the full sensor-to-shooter chain at sea, not just individual subsystems. If the 2028 sea-trial target holds, the FAC will give the Turkish Navy a new fast, low-crew asset for littoral and coastal-security missions alongside the MİLGEM fleet.
FAQ
Who is building the National Fast Attack Craft? STM is prime contractor under an SSB-led program, with construction at the İstanbul Denizcilik A.Ş. shipyard.
When will it go to sea? STM targets 2028 for the first vessel’s sea trials; as of August 9, 2026 the build is on schedule.
What weapons will it carry? Close-in air defense via LEVENT or GÖKSUR missiles, integrated with HAVELSAN’s ADVENT combat management system.
