Türkiye donates missile boat to Maldives navy

Türkiye has agreed to donate a naval vessel with anti-ship missiles to the Maldives National Defence Force. 

MNDF personnel are undergoing training in Türkiye to prepare for operations of the Dogan-class fast attack craft, the defence ministry said on Saturday night.

The ministry called the new addition to the MNDF fleet “a very important step” for improving naval capabilities in order to “fulfil the role of the Maldives as a responsible member of the international community to uphold the peace and security of the Indian Ocean”. 

The donation of TCG Volkan (P-343) is part of an MoU signed between the countries to enhance the Maldives’ defense capabilities through material support and training, Turkish defence ministry sources told the Anadolu Agency. Ahead of transfer to the Maldives by June, after which it will be activated by a Turkish naval team, the vessel has undergone maintenance and repairs. 

“TCG Volkan (P-343) was commissioned into the Turkish Navy in May 1981 and reclassified in 2024 as a test and training vessel,” according to Türkiye Today. The Dogan-class vessels designed by German shipbuilder Lürssen Werft were the first that came equipped with Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

The agreement for Turkish military assistance was reached during President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's visit to Istanbul in his first official overseas trip after assuming office in November 2023. As part of the agreement, the Maldives purchased drones at a reported cost of US$ 37 million and launched the MNDF’s Air Corps in March last year.

Meanwhile, six tanks imported under a secret agreement arrived in the country last week, Adhadhu reported on Friday, after a video of concealed vehicles that appeared to be tanks circulated on social media.