Turkish Navy corvette TCG Kinaliada visits France for 1st time despite tensions between two countries.

According to information published by Cecmed on November 20, 2023, the Turkish Navy's Ada class corvette TCG Kinaliada docked to Toulon in the South of France.
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Turkish Ada class corvette TCG Kinaliada. (Picture source: Cecmed)

However, the visit won't last long, as the corvette TCG Kinaliada is due to visit the port of Durrës in Albania this weekend.

Technical data

The corvette, with a displacement of 2,400 long tons, has a length of 99.50 meters, a beam of 14.40 meters, and a draft of 3.89 meters. Her installed power of 35,000 kW supports a CODAG propulsion system comprising one gas turbine, two diesel engines, and two shafts.

The vessel can reach a maximum speed of 29 knots, with an economy speed of 15 knots, and has a range of 3,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. She can endure up to 21 days with logistic support or 10 days autonomously.

The TCG Kinaliada's complement includes 93 personnel, including aviation officers, with accommodation capacity for up to 106. She is equipped with the ADVENT CMS, SMART-S Mk2 search radar, sonar, GPS, LAN, ECDIS, UniMACS 3000 IPMS, and X-band and fire control radars. Its electronic warfare and decoy systems include Aselsan ARES-2N, laser/RF systems, ASW jammers, and SSTD.

Armament-wise, the vessel is equipped with a 76 mm OTO Melara Super Rapid gun, two 12.7 mm Aselsan STAMP guns, eight Atmaca anti-surface missiles, 21 RAM anti-aircraft missiles, and two 324 mm Mk.32 triple launchers for Mk.46 torpedoes. She also features aviation facilities for an S-70B Seahawk ASW helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

Our comments

In our opinion, this visit by the Turkish corvette does not necessarily augur a warming of relations between Turkey and France. Indeed, although Turkey had declared its readiness to purchase the SAMP/T, developed by Italy and France, no progress seemed to have been made.

What's more, the list of disputes between the two nations is long, from France's support for Greece over its EEZ to the recent rise in tensions with Azerbaijan (close to Turkey) over France's decision to deliver military equipment to Armenia.

Ironically, the TCG corvette Kinaliada was in Libya just before her visit to France. This brings to mind the incident between the French and Turkish navies on June 10, 2020, when the French frigate Courbet tried to control a Turkish cargo ship and was "illuminated" by the Turkish frigate Oruç Reis.