Qatar has inaugurated a new naval warship in Turkey, one of the Gulf nation’s strongest allies, in a new effort to strengthen ties, authorities have announced.
The “Al Abrar Fuwairit” (type LCT80) warship was unveiled on Saturday by Commander of the Qatari Amiri Naval Forces Major General (Navy) Abdullah bin Hassan Al Sulaiti, who was accompanied by Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Adnan Özbal in Istanbul.
The Fuwarit is the first LCT built by a private Turkish shipyard that has been exported. It has an overall length of 80 meters and a beam of 11.7 meters.
Staffed by a total of 25 people, the ship will be armed with 30mm guns and two 12.7mm STAMP guns, both manufactured by Aselsan. The ship will be capable of carrying three main battle tanks, as well as military vehicles of various types and sizes, or 260 fully equipped troops.
“The contract for this ship was signed in September of last year. The 12-month period has ended, and we are proceeding with the launch as planned today. We intend to complete all tests and training sessions over the next 24 months and deliver them to Qatar,” said Cevat Rifat Atilhan, CEO of Anadolu Shipyard.
