Could Turkey really become an aircraft carrier powerhouse?

“The TCG Anadolu, which we have commissioned, is the first warship in the world in this area where drones can land and take off with the largest and heaviest helicopters,” Erdogan said. “She has features that will enable us to conduct military and humanitarian operations in any corner of the world if needed.”

Introducing the Anadolu warship

Designed to be the Turkish navy’s new flagship, the multipurpose amphibious assault ship was modeled after Spain’s Juan Carlos I. According to Turkish media, 70% of the Anadolu was domestically produced, and the country’s Directorate of Design Project Office wants to increase that rate in future projects.

The carrier has three runways, a modular ramp, and other carrier-specific capabilities for the deployment of 50 aircraft. Among the aircraft that will be able to take off and land from the ship are the TAI Hurjet light attack airframe, the TAI ANKA-III unmanned fighter, Baykar’s Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned jet fighter, and the TB-3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle. Powered by combined gas turbine and gas turbine propulsion, or COCAG, the ship can reach 25 knots while sailing with a range of 9,000 nautical miles. The warship can carry 1,400 personnel, including soldiers and marines, as well as other combat vehicles and support equipment.

Specs & Capabilities

With the Anadolu, Turkey might have procured a new flagship. But the development and introduction of the ship demonstrates Ankara’s deeper ambitions to raise its status as a key player in multinational missions. Erdogan is also expected to use the Anadolu to support territorial claims against Greece and to secure energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Ultimately, Ankara also hopes to procure the F-35B Lightning II airframe, even though the country was kicked out of the Joint Strike Fighter co-development group after it purchased a Russian air-defense system that violated the trust of the U.S. and its NATO allies.