Deniz Yıldızı 2017 naval exercise has ended on 7th April 2017 and participating warships are returning to their home bases.
Live missile firings made this year’s event will one of the best remembered.
During the second phase of the exercise between 31 March and 3 April, in total 6 warships and one submarine launched 8 missiles.
Below is the official video from the live missile firings made during Deniz Yıldızı 2017. Watch the video and then read my comments further below.
What do we see?
- The submarine TCG Çanakkale performed the first ever submerged UGM-84 Harpoon missile launch in Turkish Navy.
- Furthermore the corvette TCG Heybeliada fired a RGM-84F Harpoon Blok II missile capable of striking targets on land also a first for Turkish Navy.
- Frigates TCG Gökçeada, TCG Fatih, TCG Barbaros, corvette TCG Büyükada and fast attack craft TCG İmbat, conducted surface to air missile firings.
- An unidentified missile -probably RGM-84F Harpoon Block II but nor certainly- hit a specially constructed target area.
What do we not see?
- The sinking of ex USS Duncan. She was towed to the Black Sea on 26 March to be used as a target. Was she even used?
- The rumored firing of a Mk-24 Tigerfish torpedo. Turkish Navy had a bad experience with Tigerfish in 2001. Did the history repeated itself?
- The impact of the second Harpoon missile, if the impacting missile on the video is indeed a Harpoon. If not, we don’t see impacts of both Harpoons.
- Firings made from land to the sea. The navtex broadcasts of Directorate General of Coastal Safety and the NOTAM broadcasts of Directorate General of Civil Aviation mentioned that missile firings from land toward sea.
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