TCG Yıldırım (F 243)

TCG Yıldırım (F 243) is a Yavuz-class frigate of the Turkish Navy.

Development and design
Yavuz-class frigates were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO family of modular warships; in this case the MEKO 200 design. An order for ships was signed by the Turkish government in April 1983 for four MEKO frigates. Two ships were built in Germany and two in Turkey with German assistance. They are similar in design to the larger Barbaros-class frigate s of the Turkish Navy, which are improved versions of the Yavuz-class frigate.

The Turkish Navy has an ongoing limited modernization project for an Electronic Warfare Suite. The intent is to upgrade the ships with locally produced the ECM, ECCM systems, active decoys, LWRs, IRST and the necessary user interface systems.

Construction and career
Yıldırım was launched on 24 April 1987 by Gölcük Naval Shipyard in Kocaeli and commissioned on 22 July 1988.

Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) which consists of SPANISH FRIGATE Álvaro de Bazán, ROMANIAN FRIGATE Regina Maria and TCG Yıldırım, participated in the bilateral U.S. - Ukraine exercise Sea Breeze 2020, between 20 and 24 July 2020.

17 February 2021, GERMAN CORVETTE Magdeburg, KRI Sultan Hasanuddin, and TCG Yıldırım conducted an exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.