International interest grows in Turkey’s ‘floating steel dome’ TF-2000 destroyer

Turkey’s TF-2000 air-defense destroyer, described as the “steel dome” of the Blue Homeland, is attracting international attention as work on the vessel moves forward. The first steel was cut in December 2024, and the ship is described as strategically important to the Turkish Navy.

Plans call for two TF-2000 destroyers to be delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces by 2030, with six ships planned in total. The report says the United States and several other countries are closely following the project after Washington recently lifted an export ban in the field of military maritime equipment.

The ship will be able to travel 5,000 nautical miles without refueling. Its advanced radar systems are designed to detect targets at a range of 450 kilometers. Because the missile systems will be domestically produced, the vessel can be configured according to operational needs.

The TF-2000 is designed to use HİSAR-RF missiles with a range of 40 kilometers, SİPER Block-1 missiles with a range of 100 kilometers, and SİPER Block-2 missiles with a range of 150 kilometers. It will also be capable of launching ATMACA, GEZGİN and other missiles designed to strike land and sea targets.

The destroyer is intended to provide regional air defense across a broad maritime sector and help protect critical units, including TCG Anadolu and the planned national aircraft carrier. It is expected to have more than 85 percent domestic content, an 8,300-ton displacement, a length of 149 meters and a width of 21.3 meters. Its systems will include a multifunctional phased-array radar, a 96-cell national vertical launch system, close-range air-defense weapons and a domestically produced 127-millimeter gun. An integrated sonar system is expected to extend its anti-submarine warfare range beyond 73 kilometers, while unmanned air and naval vehicles will support reconnaissance and combat capabilities.