According to information published by NATO on January 25, 2022, Turkish Barbaros-class frigate TCG Barbaros deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as the flagship to NATO's Operation Sea Guardian (OSG) focused patrols.
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Turkish Barbaros-class frigate TCG Barbaros (Picture source: NATO)
The 3-week deployment is the first of six OSG focused operations scheduled this year and will run until 12 February 2022.
OSG is a collaborative, year-round maritime security operation designed to maintain maritime situational awareness (MSA), deter and counter-terrorism activity, and build capacity and interoperability among NATO Allies and partners. In addition to the daily MSA activities, OSG has been conducting focused patrols at specific areas of interest in the Mediterranean Sea.
This focused patrol incorporates maritime patrol aircraft from Greece, Poland, and Turkey in addition to submarines from Greece and Turkey in support of the flagship.
Simultaneously Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 comprised of the flagship ITS Margottini, ESPS Blas de Lezo, and TCG Goksu will be deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, contributing NATO's maritime situational awareness efforts.
The Barbaros-class frigates are among the most modern frigates in the Turkish Navy. They were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO group of modular warships, in this case, the MEKO 200 design. Two ships were built in Germany and two in Turkey with German assistance.
