Turkish Navy deploys Reis class submarine TCG Piri Reis in Bosphorus Strait.

According to a tweet published by the Turkish MoD on October 29, 2023, the first Reis class submarine, TCG Piri Reis, participated in the Republic Day festivities, marking its first official appearance. The air-independent propulsion submarine has been undergoing sea trials since the beginning of this year.
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Turkish Reis class submarine TCG Piri Reis. (Picture source: Turkish MoD)

The Reis-class submarines are a set of license-built vessels tailored for the Turkish Navy, based on the Type 214 design. The initiation of this project traces back to late 2006 when the Turkish Ministry of National Defense's Undersecretariat for Defence Industries issued a request for proposal.

The contract was signed in 2009 with the consortium of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW) and Marine Force International LLP (MFI), with a project value of €2.06 billion, moving into action by mid-2011.

The construction of these submarines is carried out at Gölcük Naval Shipyard using material packages supplied by HDW/MFI, with various Turkish defense and marine industry companies engaged as subcontractors.

The Reis-class, with a displacement of 1,860 tons when surfaced and 2,013 tons when submerged, represents a substantial addition to Turkey's undersea capabilities. Their dimensions, a length of 67.6 meters, a beam of 6.30 meters, and a draft of 5.8 meters, along with a height of 13.1 meters excluding periscopes, display a design aimed at balancing agility and operational capacity.

The propulsion of these submarines is engineered for extended underwater operations, featuring a 3,900 kW main engine by Siemens Permasyn. This setup is further enriched by two diesel generators, two batteries, and two 120 kW fuel cells by Siemens, indicative of the air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology integrated, enhancing their underwater endurance and operational range.

The operational speed of these submarines stands at 10 knots when surfaced and accelerates to 20 knots when submerged. They boast a surfaced range of 12,000 nautical miles at 6 knots and a submerged range of 420 nautical miles at 8 knots, providing a strategic blend of stealth, speed, and operational outreach.

The crew comprises 27 personnel with an additional complement of 11 SAT, making a total of 38 onboard. The sensor and processing systems, including the ISUS 90-72 sonar and weapon control, along with an armament suite housing 8 x 533 mm torpedo tubes, and a variety of torpedoes and UGM-84 Sub-Harpoon missiles, equip the Reis-class for a broad spectrum of undersea warfare missions.