As is known, Turkey is currently operating several G-class (Gabya) frigates. These are actually the first American frigates of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, which operated in the US Navy but were sold 2 decades earlier to Ankara. Turkey through the GENESIS program has significantly modernized these vessels so that they can respond to modern threats.
But to analyze the changes made by the Turks through the GENESIS program.
Turkey's Gabya Frigates
Let's start things from the beginning. The Turkish Navy began using Gaby-class frigates in the late 1990s, with the first ship of the class named TCG Gaziantep. The vessel, which in the US Navy was called the USS Clifton Sprague, was officially commissioned in 1997.
Between 1997 and 2003, Turkey commissioned 8 Gabya-class frigates, and shortly afterwards purchased a 9-class frigate, the former USS Duncan. This ship was used as a source of spare parts for the remaining 8 vessels of the Turkish Gabya class.
The Turkish defense industry through the GENESIS program converted the Oliver Hazard Perry frigates into ships designed primarily for air defense missions, as they were equipped with SM-1 medium-range surface-to-air missiles.
From the late 1990s until today, the Turkish Gabya frigates form the backbone of the Turkish fleet. The ships have participated in major missions, including NATO exercises and patrols.
The changes made by the Turks through the GENESIS modernization program mainly concerned upgrading the capabilities of the vessels in the areas of detecting enemy targets and increasing the firepower of the ships. To improve the ability of used US frigates to detect enemy targets, the Turks replaced the ships' sensors with modern radars and other systems.
GENESIS was a very large program, which essentially completely "transformed" the US Oliver Hazard Perry frigates. Control and command systems were replaced, while improvements were made to the frigates' hulls to ensure its integrity.
What interests us most of all, of course, is the armament. Today each Gabya class ship has the ability to launch up to 8 SM-1 missiles and up to 36 RIM-162 ESSM missiles) for air defense missions.
