Turkish shipbuilding company Dearsan Shipyard Limited announced that on March 5, 2024, during the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition (DIMDEX-2024), held in the capital of Qatar, Doha, it signed a contract for the construction of two large missile boats of the new FAC 50 project for the Qatari Navy.
Image of a large missile boat of the FAC 50 project of the Turkish shipbuilding company Dearsan Shipyard for the Qatari Navy (c) Dearsan Shipyard
The contract parameters are not disclosed. A representative of Dearsan Shipyard said that the construction of the lead boat will begin at its shipyard in 8 months from the date of signing the contract, and the first boat should be delivered to the customer 36 months after signing the contract, and the second one in 42 months.
The FAC 50 boat is a completely new Dearsan Shipyard project, being developed to meet the requirements of the Qatari Navy, and represents a development of the FAC 46 project, which was previously advertised by the company, slightly smaller in size, which has not yet found customers. The boat of the FAC 50 project should have a length of 50 m and a width of 9.2 m. The hull of the boat will be made of steel, and the superstructure will be made of aluminum alloy. The power plant will be represented by three diesel engines with three water cannons, providing a full speed of more than 36 knots.
The armament and electronic equipment of the FAC 50 project boat will be represented almost entirely by Turkish-made systems, with the exception of the tank 40 mm artillery automatic remotely controlled installation Leonardo OTO Marlin 40. The attack missile armament of the boat will consist of four new light anti-ship missiles Çakır of the Turkish company Roketsan, and Qatar will become the first known customer of this missile. Equipped with a small-sized turbojet engine, the Çakır subsonic rocket has a launch weight with a solid-fuel launch accelerator of 330 kg, a warhead weight of 70 kg, a length with a launch accelerator of 4.1 m, and a claimed firing range of "more than 150 km". The guidance system is a combined inertial satellite and active radar, with a two-way data link for correction.
The boat will also have a remote-controlled four-shot anti-aircraft missile launcher of the new Turkish portable anti-aircraft missile system Sungur, also manufactured by Roketsan, two 12.7mm remotely operated Aselsan STAMP machine guns and two 12.7mm machine guns on hand turrets. The Aselsan MAR-D three-axis radar will be installed to detect surface and air targets. It is stated that the boat will receive an automated control system and advanced electronic warfare equipment.
Image of a large missile boat of the FAC 50 project of the Turkish shipbuilding company Dearsan Shipyard for the Qatari Navy (c) Dearsan Shipyard
A model of a large missile boat of the FAC 50 project of the Turkish shipbuilding company Dearsan Shipyard for the Qatari Navy at the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition (DIMDEX-2024). Doha (Qatar), March 2024 (c) www.navalnews.com