Türkiye Aims to Build Joint Warships With Egypt Under MILGEM

Speaking on the Distinguished Observer Day of the Sea of Friendship-2026 naval exercise off Alexandria, Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu said Ankara wants to lift naval defense-industry ties with Cairo into joint shipbuilding.

“By advancing our defense industry cooperation in the naval domain to a further stage, we aim to carry out joint shipbuilding activities with Egypt under the MILGEM Project, similar to the cooperation we have undertaken with Pakistan,” Tatlıoğlu said, according to Anadolu Agency.

He argued that model could turn Turkish–Egyptian navy relations into a broader, lasting partnership. No class, shipyard or contract for an Egypt MILGEM buy was announced.

The framing tracks Türkiye’s 39-warship national build program and the Pakistan Babur-class (PN-MILGEM) template: four corvettes under ASFAT, two built in Türkiye and two in Karachi with design rights and technology transfer.

Sea of Friendship-2026 Off Alexandria

Egypt has hosted the drill since Nov. 4. Turkish units include multipurpose amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu, frigate TCG Gaziantep, fast attack craft TCG Meltem, two SH-70 helicopters, three AH-1W attack helicopters and three Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aircraft.

Egypt fielded amphibious assault ship Gamal Abdel Nasser plus M. Fahmy, El Fateh, Fouad Zekry, El Farouk and Al-Arish. Tatlıoğlu and Egyptian Navy Commander Vice Adm. Mahmoud Adel Fawzy jointly followed the observer day.

Unmanned Systems and Munitions

Tatlıoğlu said the Turkish Navy has gained substantial unmanned capability and is taking concrete steps with Egypt on shared use of those systems.

Bayraktar TB3 and the MKE-developed PİRANA kamikaze unmanned surface vessel took part in the exercise. He added that Türkiye fields its own guided munitions, torpedoes and naval mines, and that work is under way with the Egyptian Navy on joint employment of those weapons.

East Mediterranean Security Track

Tatlıoğlu cast Türkiye and Egypt as two key naval powers for Eastern Mediterranean security and stability. The navies are also exchanging mine-warfare experience, including lessons from Turkish operations against drifting mines in the Black Sea.

The MILGEM pitch sits alongside a wider Cairo–Ankara thaw that has included revived Sea of Friendship drills and talks on Eastern Mediterranean maritime arrangements. The warship goal remains an announced aim, not a signed industrial deal.