According to a tweet published by the Turkish Navy on September 29, 2022, the G class frigate TCG Gaziantep conducted transit training with the Polnocny-class landing ship Ibn Ouf (132) of the Libyan Navy, in front of Tripoli, Libya.
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Libyan Polnocny class landing ship Ibn Ouf and the Turkish G class frigate TCG Gaziantep. (Picture source: Turkish Navy)
In November 2019, Turkey stated that it signed an agreement with Libya's internationally recognized government on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to a deal on security and military cooperation.
On 2 January 2020, Turkey's parliament approved a bill to deploy troops into Libya to back the UN-recognised government in the capital, after forces loyal to Haftar, a rival administration, launched an offensive.
About the G class frigate
The G class is one of the frigate classes of the Turkish Navy. They are extensively modernized versions of ex-Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates of the US Navy, mainly designed for air defense with a weapons configuration that is optimized for general warfare.
The G-class frigates have undergone a major modernization program which included the retrofitting of a Turkish digital combat management system named GENESIS.
The system was designed and implemented jointly by the Turkish Navy and HAVELSAN, a Turkish electronic hardware systems and software company. The first GENESIS upgraded ship was delivered in 2007, and the last delivery is scheduled for 2011.
The "short hull" ex-Perry class frigates that are currently being operated by the Turkish Navy were modified with the ASIST landing platform system at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, so that they can accommodate the S-70B Seahawk helicopter.
About the Polnocny class
The Polnocny (or Polnochny)-class ships are amphibious warfare vessels. They were designed in Poland, in cooperation with the Soviet Navy and were built in Poland between 1967 and 2002.
They now serve in several different navies, and some have been converted to civilian use. The name comes from the Stocznia Północna shipyard (Northern Shipyard) at Gdańsk, where they were built. 107 were built by 1986 (last 16 by Stocznia Marynarki Wojennej (Naval Shipyard) at Gdynia, Poland).
The Polnocny-class ships are classified as medium landing ships in the Russian Navy, and are loosely equivalent to Western tank landing ships. They are equipped with a bow ramp that allows beach landings.
The Polnocny-C version can carry 12 BMP-2 armored personnel carriers, or 4 Main Battle Tanks, or 250 Infantry Soldiers with their weapons like 82 mm Mortars and ATGMs, or 250 tons of rations & stores.
Unlike their Western counterparts, these ships can provide substantial fire support for landed troops with their onboard multiple rocket launchers. Other armament consists of anti-aircraft guns and short-range surface-to-air missiles.
