The Communications Department of the Ukrainian Navy Command has published a video of the sea trials of the Hetman Ivan Mazepa (F211) corvette of the Ada MILGEM class, currently being completed at shipbuilding facilities in Turkey.
This video marks the first official confirmation of the corvette's testing, aside from a few unofficial photos that surfaced on social networks in late May 2024. The timing of this video's release is also important, especially since the Navy previously stated that this corvette would join the national fleet in 2024.
Read more: The Hetman Ivan Mazepa Corvette Embarks on Trials; Will the Neptune Missile Be Aboard?
A key question remains regarding the mechanism by which the Hetman Ivan Mazepa will be transferred from Turkey to Ukraine. Presumably, this transfer will occur under two separate agreements, Defense Express notes.
A frame-by-frame analysis of the video reveals several interesting details. For instance, there are individuals in civilian clothes on the ship's deck, likely employees of Turkish enterprises involved in the corvette's construction. Additionally, the helicopter landing pad at the aft part of the vessel has not yet been fully assembled.
The footage also shows that the corvette is already equipped with some important weapons. These include the 76mm Leonardo Super Rapid gun in the bow and the 35mm Aselsan Gokdeniz anti-aircraft gun in the stern. Another angle reveals elements for the placement of anti-ship missiles, though the exact type of these missiles to be installed is still unclear. Meanwhile, vertical launchers for MICA VL air defense missiles have already been installed on the corvette.
In August 2023, the Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Oleksii Neizhpapa, outlined the approximate list of weapons planned for the Hetman Ivan Mazepa in a video interview.
He mentioned 2x4 launchers for either Harpoon or Neptune anti-ship missiles, 21 vertical launch tubes for RIM-116 anti-aircraft missiles, and a few 76mm and 35mm naval artillery systems. Additionally, there may be Aselsan STAMP remote-controlled weapon stations and MU 90 light torpedoes.
It is likely that the second corvette of this class for the Ukrainian Navy, already named Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, will receive a similar set of weapons.
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