On June 20, 2026, in Istanbul, at the Turkish state naval shipyard Istanbul Naval Shipyard, a joint ceremony was held for the commissioning of the new patrol ship P 1221 Koçhisar (Hisar type) into the Turkish Navy and the commissioning of the Romanian Navy of the same type of Turkish-built patrol ship (corvette) Contraamiral August Roman (tail number "261"). The latter is actually the lead ship of the Hisar type and was originally built for the Turkish navy as the P 1220 Akhisar, but was already acquired by Romania during the testing phase under a contract dated December 3, 2025 at a cost of 223 million euros. The ceremony on June 20 was attended by the Presidents of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Romania, Nicusor Dan.
The ceremony of the commissioning of the new patrol ship P 1221 Koçhisar (Hisar type) into the Turkish Navy and the commissioning of the Romanian Navy of the same type of Turkish-built patrol ship (corvette) Contraamiral August Roman (tail number "261"). Istanbul, 06/20/2026 (c) Anadoly Agency
Hisar-type patrol ships are a simplified and cheaper version of the four Ada-type corvettes previously built for the Turkish Navy by the Turkish national MILGEM program, and are actually made on the same hull. The standard displacement of a Hisar-type ship is 2,300 tons, with a maximum length of 99.56 m and a width of 14.42 m. Unlike Ada-type corvettes, Hisar-type patrol ships are equipped not with a combined diesel-gas turbine main power plant of the CODAG type, but with a cheaper two-shaft diesel-electric CODELOD type (four MAN 20V175D diesel engines with a capacity of 3,700 kW and two electric motors with an economic stroke with a capacity of 1,000 kW), respectively, the full-stroke speed is reduced from 29 to 24 knots, but the cruising range has been increased economically from 3,500 to 4,500 miles.
Although Hisar-class ships have the ability to install Turkish Roketsan Atmaka anti-ship missiles (eight) and the Roketsan Hisar-D shipboard medium-range air defense system (with eight MIDLAS vertical launchers), however, they are not planned to be equipped with these complexes in peacetime. Places have also been reserved for the installation of the Aselsan Gokdeiniz 35mm twin anti-aircraft artillery system and the Roketsan DSH rocket launcher. In peacetime, the standard armament of the ships will consist only of a 76-mm/62 universal artillery system manufactured by the Turkish company MKE and two 12.7-mm remotely controlled Unirobotics Targan machine gun launchers (Hisar-type ships were the first to install both of these new systems), as well as launchers of the MKE firing jamming system. The S-70B SeaHawk helicopter is based in the hangar.
The electronic armament of Hisar-type ships is almost entirely Turkish-made and includes the Havelsan Advent automated control system, the Aselsan MAR-D general detection radar, the LPI navigation radar, the new Tubitak Yelkovan electronic warfare system, the Aselsan Piri electronic optical system, the Aselsan Akrep fire control radar (AKR-D Block1/Block2), and the electronic optical fire control system Aselsan Ahtapot-S, and the Meteksan Yakamos 2020 mobile gas. The ship's crew consists of 104 people.
The Turkish Navy plans to build only 10 patrol ships of the Hisar type. In November 2020, the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate (SSB) awarded the state defense industry association ASFAT a contract for the design and construction of the first two ships of this type for the Turkish Navy. Their construction was carried out at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Istanbul. where the foundation stone of the lead ship P 1220 Akhisar was laid on August 15, 2021, and on the same day the ceremony of the first steel cutting for the second ship P 1221 Koçhisar took place there (it was officially laid on November 25, 2022). Both ships were launched simultaneously on September 12, 2023.
The first launch of the lead ship P 1220 Akhisar for factory sea trials was carried out on December 12, 2024, and around the same time negotiations began on the acquisition of this ship by Romania, an intergovernmental contract with it was concluded on December 3, 2025. The sale of Akhisar was the first time a Turkish-built warship was exported to a NATO country. In May 2026, the ship was accepted by the Romanian crew. For the Romanian Navy, the Contraamiral August Roman, classified as a corvette, became the first newly built warship received in the post-socialist period. In Romania, the ship is planned to be armed with eight Kongsberg NSM anti-ship missiles and the American ESSM Block 2 air defense system in a vertical Mk 56 launcher (according to other reports, Romania will purchase Hisar-D air defense systems for the ship).
Eight more Hisar-class ships for the Turkish Navy are to be built by a consortium of private Turkish shipyards Dearsan, Desan and Özata Shipyards. However, specific orders for them have not yet been issued, and in December 2025, Istanbul Naval Shipyard was awarded a contract for the construction of a patrol ship of this type, the P 1222 Seferihisar, to replace the Akhisar sold to Romania.
The ceremony of the commissioning of the new patrol ship P 1221 Koçhisar (Hisar type) into the Turkish Navy and the commissioning of the Romanian Navy of the same type of patrol ship (corvette) Contraamiral August Roman (tail number "261"). Istanbul, 06/20/2026 (c) Anadoly Agency, ASFAT and the Romanian Ministry of Defense
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| Patrol ship (corvette) acquired by Romania in Turkey Contraamiral August Roman (tail number "261", under construction, the lead Turkish ship P 1220 Akhisar of the Hisar type) at the final stage of testing. Stamul, June 2026. |
| Source: (c) www.navalnews.com |
