MLU completion on first Turkish Barbaros-class frigate officially accepted

Aselsan has successfully concluded a mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the Turkish MEKO-200TN frigate TCG Oruçreis under the Turkish Naval Forces’ Barbaros-class Frigate Mid-Life Upgrade (Barbaros-MLU) programme, the company declared on 9 April 2025.

Following its MLU the ship began initial trials in the Sea of Marmara in November 2023, so Aselsan’s announcement indicates that its work under the MLU has now been approved and accepted. TCG Oruçreis was first handed over for the project in December 2021.

The Barbaros-MLU programme, initiated by the Turkish Secretariat of Defence Industries (SSB) with the signing of a contract in April 2018, will now be applied to the Turkish Naval Forces’ three other Barbaros-class frigates.

“With a comprehensive combat system integration solution tailored to the specific needs of the Turkish Naval Forces, a total of 21 systems on board TCG Oruçreis have been renewed under Aselsan’s main contractorship,” the company stated. “Among the notable advancements brought are radar, electronic warfare, integrated combat and satellite communication, electro-optic, weapon and fire control, underwater and navigation support systems, which significantly enhance the operational capabilities of TCG Oruçreis.”

In addition to modernising weapon and electronic systems, Aselsan undertook extensive redesign work, including mast modifications to accommodate the ship’s new radars, above- and below-deck arrangement activities, and various analyses related to marine stability, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, power distribution and electromagnetic compatibility.

The Barbaros-MLU project has left TCG Oruçreis with a considerably different silhouette to its original one. It now has a much larger main mast to accommodate its new Thales Smart-S Mk-2 main 3D air and surface surveillance radar, while the aft mast has also been remodelled to a thinner design to support the ship’s MAR-D search radar.

Other key upgrades include the following:

• The ship’s two aft Sea Zenith close-in weapon systems (CIWSs) have been removed and replaced by Aselsan STOP 25 mm remote-controlled weapon systems, while the forward Sea Zenith turret has been replaced by an Aselsan Gökdeniz CIWS;
• In place of the aft-looking Sea Guard fire control radar for the Sea Zenith CIWS is a Phalanx Mk-15 Block 1B Baseline 2 CIWS system, with an additional structure added behind the Phalanx mount to give the new Aselsan AKR-D fire control radar installed there a clear view;
• An Aselsan Cenk 3D surveillance radar has been installed;
• The Aselsan ARES 2 electronic warfare suite has been introduced;
• The Aselsan Piri infra-red search and track system has been installed;
• A new Aselsan fire-control system for the ship’s Mark 45 5-inch (127 mm) naval gun has been introduced;
• A new-generation active/passive Fersah sonar system developed by Aselsan and Armelsan has replaced the original AN/SQS-56 system;
• An Aselsan Hizir 100-N torpedo countermeasures system has been installed;
• A Havalsan Advent combat management system (CMS) has replaced the original STACOS Mod 3 CMS.