STM: Dirty Dozen Turkish

In 2024, Global Fire Power ranked Türkiye the 8th most powerful military in the world. The country ranked 13th last year. Don't be surprised if it will rank the 5th in no time. Just look at STM!

Together with STM: Dirty Dozen Turkish defense industry companies recently propelled the industry. The bad news, the newcomer Türkiye, is nothing like Russia or the rapidly growing China and India.

Türkiye has a captive audience that the other major suppliers do not have. As a result, it is no surprise that Türkiye leaped upward from 13th to 8th spot fast. Soon, when it ranks the 5th, watch Türkiye how it will take its place in the New World Order!

STM ONE OF THE LEADING TURKISH DEFENSE CONTRACTORS

STM (Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş.) is a defense company in Türkiye. In 2021, STM celebrated its 30th year in the business.

STM mainly supplies the Turkish Naval Forces, with indigenous systems and solutions. They are mainly MILGEM warships and MILDEN submarines.

STM ranked among the world’s top 100 defense companies for three consecutive years, 2018-2021. It has three main divisions: engineering, technology and consultancy.

STM: Dirty Dozen Turkish

Corvettes, Frigates, and Destroyers

To get an idea about the role of STM in the Turkish defense industry, read my recent KAAN series posts. TUSAŞ is another one of the “dirty dozen Turkish” giants. They make up the pillars of the rapidly rising Eastern power.

My four “KAAN” posts, here at Substack, explain how TUSAŞ is now building air supremacy in the world. Much like STM, arguably, can also soon claim sea supremacy. Let’s not forget, Turks still maintain land supremacy ever since 200BC or so!

Corvettes

STM was first instrumental in building the ADA class corvettes for the Turkish navy. TCG Heybeliada (F 511), TCG Büyükada (F 512), TCG Burgazada (F 513), and TCG Kınalıada (F 514) are now in service. They are stealth. Ask Greeks and French!

Currently, Türkiye is building eight more of these corvettes. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, was in Türkiye past week. He named the second of his four corvettes. It is under construction in Tuzla, Istanbul.

A month earlier or so, Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, was in Türkiye too. He also visited another shipyard in Istanbul. You guessed it. He also visited one of his four corvettes under construction there.

Frigates and Destroyers

Corvettes are not the whole story. There are also frigates, destroyers, ocean going patrol boats, and superior attack boats. The first two of the MILGEM offshore patrol vessels are Akhisar and Koçhisar. They are already in the Turkish navy.

Next to come on board are the three frigates. They are TCG Izmir (F 516), TCG Izmit (F517), and TCG Icel (F 518). TCG Istanbul (F 515) is the first of these four MILGEMs. It is already commissioned and equipped with the superior Turkish ATMACAs.

After them comes four destroyers, yet to be named, but classified as TF-2000. Each will deploy 100 Turkish-made Hisar and Siper missiles, capable of defending against ICBMs. Türkiye’s indigenous vertical launching system MIDLAS will give edge.

STM: Dirty Dozen Turkish

Where Does It End?

Building 20 warships simultaneously is not a small feat. Plus, each is no smaller than 100 feet long and 3500 tons. Half of them are nearly 200 feet long and over 10000 tons. Never mind, what are they equipped with from Turkish electronic warfare to missiles!

Despite that, that is still not the full story when it comes to what STM is all about. The fact that Pakistan and Ukraine are as good client as Türkiye itself does not make it either. STM is a lot more than Turkish MILGEMs and MILDENs.

Turkish Flat Tops and Submarines

Yet, the first thing is first. Türkiye is the first country in the world that built an indigenous “Drone Carrier”. Baykar built TB-3 will soon be on board of the 230 feet long TCG ANADOLU. Baykar’s supersonic behemoth KIZILELMA will follow suit.

TCG Trakya, sister flat top, is also underway. It will host next generation drones but also the world’s only viable fifth generation aircraft, the Turkish KAAN. Trakya will be 280 feet long but will not cost nothing like the 13 billion dollars US carriers.

That brings us to the indigenously built submarines, the Turkish MILDENs. STM is the main contractor of the Reis-class Type 214s, featuring air-independent propulsion. Second of the six is already in sea trials. One enters into service each year.

So, is that all? Hardly! STM is working on 100 percent Turkish submarine behemoths alongside mini subs: S-500s. Surely, the former will be suitable to deploy ICBMs. The latter is what the doctor ordered for the shallow Islands Sea: Greeks call it Aegean.

What Else Could There Be in Store for STM Then?

How about modernizing French submarines now in service in other countries! STM is now doing it in Pakistan. On that note, what else could there be in store for STM?

How about Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Somalia, for example? They are Muslim and shunned by the West.

Having said that, the West never considered Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan as client states. They are landlocked however the Caspian Sea should have given a hint.

They now have navies. Turkish MILDEMs and MILDENs, anyone? Considering there are 54 Muslim majority countries, Türkiye has tons of “willing & able” client states.

Yet, one must also add the likes of Catholic Philippines in Asia or Venezuela in Latin America. They are already the client states of the other dirty dozen Turkish giants.