On October 2, at the RMK Marine military shipyard in Istanbul, the launching ceremony for the first Ada-type corvette for the Ukrainian Navy took place. Het’man Ivan Mazepa (F-211) has left the dry dock and will now wait for the assembly of combat systems and weapons. The ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vice-Admiral Oleksiy Nejizpapa and the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. The Turkish side was represented, inter alia, by Defense Minister General Hulusi Akar and the head of the Turkish sub-secretariat for the defense industry, İsmail Demir.
– Today’s extremely important event for Ukraine and the navy once again proves that in the conditions of the war for our independence and territorial integrity, for the will of the multinational Ukrainian nation, for freedom and dignity, we have a great friend, the Republic of Turkey – said Nejižpapa. – Thanks to it, we get a modern and powerful corvette.
The Hetman Ivan Mazepa (F-211) Ada-class lead corvette under construction for the Ukrainian Navy at the RMK Marine shipyard in Istanbul pic.twitter.com/VlbktySokd
– ТРУХА⚡️English (@TpyxaNews) September 18, 2022
– Hetman Ivan Mazepa is leaving today dry, and I wish good luck to him and my country and nation – said Zelenska. – Clear winds, calm sea and only victories! Always remember your Turkish homeland and bring glory to Ukraine!
The very quick process of building the ship is noteworthy. Ada-class Corvettes were selected in December 2020. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense decided to purchase one unit, postponing the decision on the next three (so far it has not been decided whether they will be built). The keel-laying ceremony for the first corvette was held in September last year. Two months ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree naming him Het’man Ivan Mazepa – in honor of the great hero of Ukraine, the Cossack Hetman, hated in Russia, and in Poland decorated with the Order of the White Eagle.
In the second half of September, the first photos of the almost finished fuselage began to be circulated on the Internet. At that time, Mazepa’s quick entry into line service was announced, completely ignoring the real problems with the development of combat systems and the required tests, sometimes protracted in time. Before the crew can go to sea trials, other problems will arise. Besides, the first corvette was supposed to be built in Turkey, but the equipment and weapons were to be delivered at the shipyards in Mikołajów. It is currently impossible, and the involvement of the Ukrainian defense industry will be very limited.
The choice of a replacement place was already thought of before. There are many indications that the corvette will remain in Turkey and the work will be completed there. According to another scenario, the work could take place in one of the British shipyards. The deadline for introducing the corvette into service in 2024 seems to be met, but only in conditions of quickly overcoming subsequent stages.
The first #Ukrainian anti-submarine corvette of ADA class “Hetman Ivan Mazepa” was launched in #Turkey
The ship equipped with a modern combat control system, navigation, sonar and electronic warfare systems, there is a hangar for a helicopter. pic.twitter.com/VaoFJgnVvT
– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 2, 2022
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense previously announced that the local Ady will be armed with eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles, VL MICA anti-aircraft defense systems (four on each side), OTO Melara Super Rapid 76mm and Millennium 35mm mounts and Aselsan STAMP machine gun mounts. caliber 12.7 millimeters. For the fight against submarines, it will have MU90 torpedo tubes of 324 mm caliber. The Mazepa will also feature a Thales or Aselsan radar, as well as the Havelsan Advent combat management system.
It is worth mentioning that the R-360 Neptune missiles were originally selected as the main anti-ship anti-ship armament of the Ada-type corvettes. Today, their installation is impossible and a replacement will have to be installed on the first ship of this type. If the US Harpoon is not integrated, Ankara is ready to install Atmaca anti-ship missiles. The Turks chose them for their Ada-class corvettes, G-type frigates (modernized post-American Oliver Hazard Perry frigates) and İstanbul-type frigates, and the planned TF-2000 anti-aircraft destroyers.
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