On Wednesday, 3 December 2025, a ceremony was held at the Romanian Ministry of Defence headquarters in Bucharest to sign an intergovernmental agreement with Turkey for the procurement and construction, by the Turkish state-owned company ASFAT (Askeri Fabrika ve Tersane İşletme Anonim Şirketi), of a single Hisar-class light missile corvette. It will be the first Turkish-built warship to enter service with a NATO fleet. The contract is valued at 233 million EUR net.
Photo: ASFAT
The agreement was signed by Brigadier General Dr. Eng. Ion-Cornel Pleșa, head of the General Armaments Directorate of the Romanian Ministry of Defence, and Mustafa İlbaş, chairman of the ASFAT board, in the presence of Romania’s acting Minister of Defence, Radu Miruță, and Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Musa Heybet.
The Turkish delegation also included H.E. Mr. Özgür Kıvanç Altan, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Bucharest. The ceremony was also attended by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gheorghiț Vlad, and the Commander of the Romanian Navy (Forțele Navale Române), Vice Admiral Mihai Panait.
“The entry of a new ship into the Naval Forces’ service is a concrete step, which strengthens our defence capacity in the Black Sea. We are not just talking about military equipment, but about Romania’s security and respect for our soldiers who need the best conditions to conduct their missions,” the Minister of National Defence stated.
The contract also includes crew training and a logistics support package.
In March 2025, the Romanian Supreme Council of National Defence (Consiliul Suprem de Apărare a Țării, CSAT) approved a multi-year program to equip the Romanian Navy with a new vessel, a Hisar-class corvette, allowing the Ministry of Defence to take the necessary steps to execute the procurement. The joint defense committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies unanimously endorsed the purchase on 8 September.
The Hisar-class corvette is part of the procurement program for the Romanian Navy aimed at providing vessels capable of performing missions to protect critical maritime infrastructure, as well as patrol and combat missions.
It should be recalled that under the Corveta multifuncțională program launched in the previous decade, Romania had planned to acquire up to four missile corvettes. Initially, the Dutch Damen Sigma 10514 design was considered, and later, following political disputes, the next government selected the French Naval Group Gowind 2500. That purchase, however, was cancelled in 2023.
The Hisar-class ships were developed as part of the broader Turkish modernization program MİLGEM (Milli Gemi Projesi) as blue-water offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) or light corvettes (depending on armament configuration). The program also includes the construction of full-sized Ada-class corvettes, TF-100 İstanbul (Istif)-class missile frigates, and TF-2000-class air-defense destroyers.
Turkey has ordered six Hisar-class ships. The prototype, TCG Akhisar (P-1220), was launched on 23 September 2023 at the Pendik Naval Shipyard in Istanbul, owned by Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik (STM), and began sea trials in December 2024. The second ship, TCG Koçhisar (P-1221), also launched on 23 September 2023, is currently undergoing port trials. It is expected to begin sea trials in the coming months, with delivery planned for March 2026. The remaining four ships will be built at the Dearsan/Desan and Özata shipyards.
The ships are 99.56 m long, 14.42 m wide, with a draft of 3.77 m and a displacement of 2,300 metric tones. The diesel-electric propulsion system in CODELOD configuration consists of four diesel engines and two electric motors, supported by four diesel generators, providing a maximum speed of up to 24 knots and a range of up to 4,500 nautical miles at an economical speed of 12 knots. Endurance is 21 days. The vessel carries two RHIB boats, an S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter, and an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Electronic equipment includes the METEKSAN YAKAMOS 2020 hull-mounted sonar, the Aselsan MAR-D 3D search radar, the Aselsan AKR-D fire-control radar, and a navigation/LPI radar. Additional systems include the Aselsan Piri – KATS and DENİZGÖZÜ OCTOPUS-S electro-optical systems, as well as the TÜBİTAK YELKOVAN radar electronic support system. All systems are integrated via the HAVELSAN ADVENT combat management system.
The armament for the light-corvette configuration selected by Romania includes a single MKE 76/62 76-mm naval gun, the Aselsan GOKDENIZ close-in weapon system, and two UNIROBOTICS Targan 30-mm remote-controlled gun stations. The ship is equipped with an eight-cell MIDLAS vertical launch system for radar-guided HISAR-D surface-to-air missiles, launchers for eight Atmaca anti-ship missiles, and the Roketsan ASW anti-submarine rocket system.
The signing ceremony of the intergovernmental contract for the acquisition of the HISAR class corvette from the Government of the Republic of Türkiye🇹🇷 took place on Wednesday, December 3rd, at the Ministry of National Defence headquarters🇷🇴.https://t.co/s2ZrLaeGui
— MApN (@MApNRomania) December 4, 2025
A NEW FIRST, A NEW SUCCESS FROM ASFAT!
ASFAT has completed Türkiye's first export of a warship to a NATO and European Union member country!
The contract was signed between ASFAT and a Romanian Ministry of National Defence for the export of a Light Corvette!🇷🇴🤝🏻🇹🇷 A day of… pic.twitter.com/W2Z77p4VQb
— ASFAT (@MSB_ASFAT) December 3, 2025