Photos show new sensors and defensive weapons on Turkish Gabya-class frigates
TCG Gaziantep sails through the Izmit Gulf in August 2022 with newly installed Ahtapot EO sensor and STAMP-2 RCWS on board. (Photo: Oğuz Eroğuz)
Turkey’s Gabya-class frigates have received a number of major upgrades and changes since the early 2000s.
Following the GENESIS modernisation programme for the ships’ combat management system, completed in 2012, four of the class were fitted with eight-cell MK-41 VLS for RIM-162 ESSM missiles and a SMART-S Mk 2 3D radar instead of the legacy AN/SPS-49(V)4.
The Turkish Navy clearly sees still potential for upgrading this class of ship. In May 2022 during the Mavi Vatan 22 naval exercise, TCG Gökçeada was spotted fitted with an Aselsan Ahtapot EO reconnaissance and surveillance system on a pedestal on the roof of the
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