FG – Türkiye has begun construction of its first “fully indigenous” submarine, marking a milestone in the country’s expanding defense industry, the Defense Ministry has confirmed.
Spokesperson Zeki Akturk told reporters that work on the “first test block” of the MILDEN national submarine has started at the Golcuk Naval Shipyard Command in southwestern Türkiye.
The announcement comes a week after Türkiye said contractors had begun building the domestically produced TF‑2000 naval air defense destroyer, a key element of its planned “Steel Dome” multi‑layered air defense system.
Akturk also noted that the state‑owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) has, for the first time, been included in the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s list of the world’s top 100 defense companies.