Turkey has begun constructing its first fully indigenous submarine, marking a major advance in its long-term strategy to achieve self-reliance in naval platforms and critical undersea defense technologies. The National Submarine project, known as MILDEN, is now underway at the Gölcük Shipyard Command and follows the recent launch of the TF-2000 naval air-defense destroyer initiative at Istanbul Shipyard.
Both programs form part of Ankara’s wider Steel Dome initiative, a multilayered air and maritime defense ecosystem designed to reduce foreign dependence and expand Turkey’s sovereign naval capabilities. Turkey’s defense sector has accelerated dramatically in recent years, with contracts worth nearly 276 billion Turkish lira—equivalent to about $6.5 billion—signed last week to support Steel Dome development and naval modernization priorities.
Turkey’s submarine initiative aligns with a global shift toward domestically built undersea systems. South Korea continues expanding its Dosan Ahn Chang-ho–class KSS-III line, including ballistic-missile-capable variants now under production. India is progressing both Kalvari-class conventional submarines and its nuclear-powered Arihant-class, while Australia prepares to move ahead with next-generation attack-class diesel-electric boats through the SEA 1000 program.
Taken together, these developments highlight a wider international focus on undersea deterrence, maritime autonomy, and national industrial capacity—areas Turkey now seeks to strengthen with the launch of the MILDEN submarine program.
