DIMDEX 2024 – Dearsan shipyard signed a contract with the Qatari Navy for two fast attack crafts
During the second day of DIMDEX 2024 exhibition, a contract signature ceremony was held between the Qatari Emiri Naval Force (QENF) and Turkish Dearsan shipyard for the design, building and delivery of two 50 meters Fast Attack Crafts (FACs)
The ceremony was attended by the Commander of QENF, Maj. Gen. Abdullah bin Hassan Al Salaiti, the President of the Turkish Defence Industry Agency Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün along with Dearsan Chairman Mr. Aziz Yildirim.
According to Dearsan, the new ships will be capable of effectively undertaking asymmetric warfare, territorial waters protection, antipiracy, reconnaissance and surveillance, search and rescue, disaster relief and border control and base/port security missions, being equipped with weapon systems for anti-surface, anti-air and asymmetric warfare.
The project has commenced four years ago, according to Mr. Erkan Yeniçeri, Business Development Manager of Dearsan. It is in the preliminary design phase (PDR) and is expected to advance to the critical design phase (CDR) in eight months’ time. The construction will commence in the same period and the first delivery is scheduled 36 months from today, while the second will follow three months later. After ship completion, it will conduct initial sea trials in Turkey, followed by an additional set of trials in Qatar before delivery.
According to Dearsan, the FAC 50 is today a 50.70 meters vessel with a beam of 9.2 meters and a draught of about 2 meters. Being specifically configured to meet the requirements of the QENF with a displacement still to be established, the hull of the boat is constructed from steel, while the superstructure is made of aluminium alloy.
With crew accommodations for 33 persons, the new ship features a propulsion system centred on three MAN 20V175D-ML”+” high-speed diesel engines delivering 4,400 kW power each and connected to three waterjets, providing a maximum speed of 36+ knots and an endurance of 1,000 nm at economical speed. It is also equipped with two full redundant primary and one secondary diesel generator sets.
The new ship features a stern area for mission equipment and weapon systems with a launch and recovery station at the extreme stern for a 6.5 meters RHIB, while the bow and superstructures accommodate respectively the main gun and a surface-to-air missile launching system.
The new boats for the QENF will be equipped with a Turkish-provided combat suite, but the Service maintains the option to make modifications to the latter package. The command management system (CMS) will be provided by Havelsan and will be a version of its Advent family.
It will manage a sensor suite including an Aselsan MAR-D multi-beam 3D air and surface surveillance radar, the same company’s Denizgözü Ahtapot-S (Seaguard Octopus-S) electro-optical surveillance and tracking system, a RESM from the Ares family, Aselsan anti-air decoy launchers and low probability of intercept (LPI) navigation radars.
The weapon package will also be provided by Turkish industry, except for the Leonardo OTO Marlin 40 mm main gun, and will include two dual-canister oblique launchers for Roketsan Çakir missiles for anti-surface warfare, a trainable launcher with four Sungur short-range surface-to-air missiles also by Rocketsan, two Aselsan 12.7 mm STAMP remote weapon systems and two 12.7 man-operated machine guns.
Images courtesy Dearsan, photos by L. Peruzzi
