Each corvette is equipped with eight (8)
Boeing RGM-84L Harpoon anti-ship missiles in two Mk141 quad launchers amidships. Turkey is one of the few countries in the region (together with Egypt) that have this advanced variant (Harpoon Block II missiles are designated -L-) in their military inventory. Harpoon Block II offers an expanded engagement envelope, enhanced resistance to electronic countermeasures and improved targeting. Specifically, the Harpoon was initially designed as an open-ocean weapon. The key improvements of the Harpoon Block II are obtained by incorporating the inertial measurement unit from the Joint Direct Attack Munition program, and the software, computer, Global Positioning System (GPS)/inertial navigation system and GPS antenna/receiver from the SLAM Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), an upgrade to the SLAM. The Harpoon Block II missile can discriminate target ships from islands and other nearby land masses and thus and it provides the Harpoon with a littoral-water anti-ship capability. The Harpoon missiles have a range greater than 120km, a sub-sonic speed of 860km/h (Mach 0.9) and they carry a warhead of 221kg. Harpoon missile has a low-level, sea-skimming cruise trajectory, active radar guidance and it is capable to perform pop-up maneuver which it is a rapid climb of the missile to about 1,800m before diving on the locked target. Once the target is detected, the missile approaches this in a flight height of 2 to 5 meters until impact. The warhead does not discharge directly on impact, but with a time delay, so that the explosion takes place inside the ship and significantly more damage than at a contact igniting weapon.
Validation test of Harpoon Block II by a US Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyer
Twin Mk32 launcher of
Heybeliada.
Photo via turkishnavy.net
For Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) the ships are equipped with two twin Mk32 (Mod 9?) 324mm torpedo launchers in fixed positions for Honeywell
Mk46 Mod 5 or Mk54 active or passive/active acoustic homing lightweight torpedoes. The Mk46 torpedoes have a range of approximately 8,500-11,000m at 45 knots (maximum speed) and they carry a very powerful warhead of 44.5kg for this category of lightweight torpedoes. They are designed to attack fast submarines and to engage them even over 400m below sea level as well as surface targets (latest variants such as Mod 5). The Mk54 torpedo is the next generation of Mk46 torpedo as it combines the expensive Mk50 search and homing system with the propulsion system of the Mk46 torpedo for optimized performance in the most challenging littoral scenarios. It has a speed over than 40 knots and it carries the same warhead as the Mk46. The decoy system is the BAE Systems
Mk 36 Super Rapid Bloom Offboard Countermeasures (SRBOC) Chaff and Decoy Launching System. It is a shipboard, deck-mounted, 6-barreled 130mm mortar-type array that launches type-specific countermeasures against a variety of threats. Following launch and dispersion, Mk36 SRBOC chaff and infrared countermeasures are designed to lure hostile missiles away from ships under attack by creating false target sets. The Mk36 SRBOC launching system is controlled from the ship’s combat management system (see last paragraph), and it is dependent on information provided by the ship’s detection and threat analysis equipment. The Mk36 SRBOC consists of the Mk137 launcher, firing stations at the bridge and CIC, the Mk160 power supply, Mk5 Mod2 or Mod4 Ready Service Lockers (RSLs), and a selection of munitions. Each vessel is equipped with two or four Mk137 launchers. The launching systems are controlled by the KALKAN Decoy Control System that links the decoy launching systems to the ship's ESM, wind and navigation sensors.
TCG
Heybeliada.
Photos: turkishnavy.net
Seahawk armed with Mk54 torpedo
Seahawk armed with Hellfire ASM
Seahawk armed with Penguin ASM
Seahawk firing Penguin ASM
View of
Heybeliada's hangar
The new Mizrak-D ASM
As it was mentioned earlier, each corvette carries one S-70B Seahawk helicopter. In Turkish service the Seahawks carry a variety of anti-ship missiles such as Penguin Mk2, Hellfire (AGM-114K) and the new long-range ASM developed by Roketsan, the Mizrak-D (variant of UMTAS) as well as Mk46 and the Mk54 lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes. The S-70 can be accommodated in the ships' hangar. The aircraft ship-integrated secure and traverse (ASIST) helicopter handling and tracking system, developed by Curtiss-Wright, ensures the safe landing of the helicopter. There is space in the hangar for UAV.
The stern ramp with the craft retrieval system
Two Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) are carried by the corvettes. One of them with its davit is located at port side of the ship. The second RHIB is located over the steering gear room with a boat ramp at the stern.
The complete Ultra Electronics Sea Sentor Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD) system.
Image: Ultra Electronics
EAD launcher.
Photo via turkishnavy.net
Aselsan HIZIR. Image: Aselsan
The corvettes of the class are equipped with the British
Ultra Electronics Sea Sentor Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD) system. The system consists of an acoustic passive towed array, a towed acoustic countermeasure, a single-drum winch, a processing cabinet, two display consoles, two expendable acoustic device/countermeasures launchers (port and starboard) and 16 expendable acoustic devices (8 in each launcher). The passive acoustic towed array is specifically designed to detect torpedoes and has additional in-built non-acoustic as well as acoustic intercept sensors. Through advanced AI processing it is able to generically identify torpedoes as well as classify specific weapon types and modes and undertake threat evaluation and posturing analysis. The system provides tactical advice dependent upon the specific threat weapon, mode and posture to maximize vessel survivability, which typically involves vessel manoeuvres and also includes the deployment of countermeasures. The countermeasures - both towed and expendable variants - lure the threat away from the vessel in a soft-kill manner by transmitting an acoustic decoy signature in the water. The system equips also the Royal Navy's Type 23 (Duke) class frigates. From the 3rd ship and after, the system will be replaced by the indigenous and more advanced
Aselsan HIZIR SSTD. HIZIR is an advanced Surface Ship Torpedo Countermeasure System composed of Towed Array, Towed Decoy, Winch, Electronic Cabinet, Launcher and Expandable Decoy subsystems. The system is integrated with the Sonar, Combat Management System and Ship Data Distribution Unit. HIZIR system is capable of detecting torpedo threats from a distance required for instant counter reaction. Using advanced Detection, Classification and Localization algorithms, the system advises the operator the most suitable tactic required to escape from threat. This includes an evasive maneuvering advice for ship, related parameters and timings for towed decoy and deployment time of expandable decoys.You can watch how the new system works in the following
video.
Hard-kill and soft-kill weapon systems of an Ada class corvette. High resolution image
here.
Above the ARES-2 EW antennas the SMART-S Mk2 radar.
Photo: turkishnavy.net
The corvettes are equipped with the
SMART-S Mk2 which are manufactured locally by Aselsan under license. This system is Thales’s latest 3D multibeam radar that operates in S-band (E/F-band) and it is optimised for medium-to-long-range air and surface surveillance and target designation in littoral environments. The latter consisting of a mix of sea, land, islands, coastal rains and thunderstorms and a multiple of radar targets including small surface targets, helicopters and anti-ship missiles. SMART-S Mk2 is extremely suitable as the main air and surface surveillance radar in a one radar concept for light frigates, corvettes and large landing ships. Pulse-Doppler processing enables fast target track initiation and stealth target detection, even in a cluttered environment. With its 2 main modes, 250-km range for air targets and 80km for surface targets, a track capacity of about 750 tracks, special helicopter mode, surface fire channels, easy installation, high reliability and easy maintainability, SMART-S Mk2 is one of the most advanced radars in its category. Moreover, SMART-S Mk2 is an optimal sensor for target indication to a fire control tracking system. By providing 3D tracks the radar supports correct classification and rapid acquisition.
From up to down: SMART-S, ARES, VMFT, ALPER and STING
Photo: niki-zlatev.blogspot.com
Sting EO system of
Heybeliada. Photo: niki-zlatev.blogspot.com
STING-EO Mk2 of Thales is a highly capable, medium range, lightweight, dual band (I and K) weapon control system, primarily for ships' gun control. The system offers support functions such as sector search (with automatic target detection), missile launch detection, projectile position measuring during gun fire and kill assessment support, it supports gun fire control, it performs kill assessment and makes a valuable contribution to classification and identification of threats. In addition, the system can be used as a surveillance sensor, even under radar silence conditions. STING-EO Mk2 combines a 1.2 m radar director with a full set of electro-optic equipment (TV/IR/laser), including optronic tracking and an automatic ‘best sensor’ selection process. The three data sources (I, K and EO) provide high redundancy, high performance and ECCM resistance. A shell-measuring feature is incorporated to support facilities such as Pre-Action Calibration (PAC) and Miss Distance Indication (MDI). The fully solid state STING-EO Mk2 provides the best weapon control for medium-sized vessels. The instrumental ranges are 72km in X-band and 17km in K-band.
Corvette
Heybeliada, lead ship of the class. Photos: niki-zlatev.blogspot.com
ALPER LPI Radar. Photo: Aselsan
Frigates,
Turkey,
Turkish Navy