HAVELSAN’s FLEETSTAR Completes Factory Acceptance Tests for MİLGEM Ships 10 and 11

HAVELSAN has completed the Factory Acceptance Tests of its FLEETSTAR Platform Data Distribution System for the 10th and 11th ships being built under the MİLGEM programme, marking another step forward in the company’s long-running naval data integration work.

Designed as the digital backbone of modern naval platforms, FLEETSTAR manages data exchange between sensors, weapon systems and mission systems, supporting the effective operation of the platform as a whole. For submarine platforms, HAVELSAN offers a dedicated configuration called SUBSTAR, built specifically around underwater operational requirements.

A 16-Year Track Record on the MİLGEM Programme

HAVELSAN delivered its first Platform Data Distribution System for TCG Heybeliada, the lead ship of the MİLGEM programme, 16 years ago. Since then, the company has steadily integrated its data distribution systems across naval platforms of different classes, building an operational record that now extends to the programme’s 10th and 11th ships.

That continuity matters in naval systems work, where platforms stay in service for decades and any data backbone needs to keep pace with changing sensors, weapons and mission requirements introduced along the way.

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Built for Demanding Naval Conditions

FLEETSTAR is designed to maintain continuous operation under demanding naval conditions, including intensive data traffic, high operational tempo and challenging environmental effects. By providing a common data infrastructure across the platform, the system ensures that critical information reaches the relevant systems at the time it’s needed, rather than getting delayed or lost between subsystems that weren’t built to talk to each other.

A significant portion of the electronic boards used within the FLEETSTAR product family are developed in-house by HAVELSAN, while the software and mechanical design work is also carried out through the company’s own engineering capabilities. That level of vertical integration gives HAVELSAN more control over how the system performs and evolves over time.

Supporting Turkish Naval Forces and Beyond

Both the FLEETSTAR Platform Data Distribution System and the SUBSTAR Submarine Data Distribution System have been operating across different surface and submarine platforms for many years. By maintaining continuous data flow and supporting the sustainability of operational activities, these systems have become embedded in the day-to-day operational requirements of the Turkish Naval Forces and other user institutions.

That sustained role has made FLEETSTAR and SUBSTAR key components of HAVELSAN’s broader naval systems portfolio, rather than one-off deliverables tied to a single shipbuilding batch.

What Comes Next

With the Factory Acceptance Tests now complete for the systems intended for MİLGEM’s 10th and 11th ships, HAVELSAN continues its production and delivery activities in naval data distribution systems, keeping the programme on track as it moves further along Turkiye’s naval shipbuilding roadmap.

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