Dearsan has laid the keel of the Qatari Emiri Navy’s two future 50-meter (164-foot) Fast Attack Craft (FAC 50) in Istanbul, formally starting the systems’ construction.

The Turkish shipbuilder received the production order last March in support of Doha’s effort to expand its naval fleet with modern platforms designated as the “Halul” class.

The firm noted that the keel laying ceremony followed the successful completion of its Project Control Office’s critical design assessment of the ships in November.

Dearsan said during the Qatari FAC 50’s contract award that the development phase will be followed by a series of sea trials in Istanbul and Doha.

Delivery of the systems is expected sometime in 2027, with the second hull scheduled two months after the first.

Upon commissioning, the boats will be used for intelligence, border control and port security, anti-piracy, search and rescue, and other humanitarian missions, primarily across the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, as well as within Qatar’s territorial waters.

The Qatari Halul Attack Craft

The Qatar Navy’s FAC 50 will incorporate steel and aluminum parts and have a draught of 2 meters (7 feet) and a beam of 9 meters (30 feet).

Powered by three diesel engines and water jets, the vessel will be able to accommodate up to 30 personnel.

It will be fitted with Çakir multi-domain cruise missiles, Sungur short-range air defense missiles, a Stamp lightweight remote control weapon station, 40-millimeter cannons, and 12.7-millimeter man-portable machine guns.

The ship will also have electronic warfare capabilities, surveillance radar, low-signature navigation technology, and electro-optical sensors.

During operations, the FAC 50 will sail at more than 36 knots (67 kilometers/41 miles per hour).