TCG Anadolu: Turkey’s Largest Military Ship Enters Service
TCG Anadolu, the Turkish Navy’s largest ship, was delivered to the Turkish Naval Forces Command on Monday, April 10, during a ceremony at Tuzla Sedef Shipyard. Many dignitaries attended the delivery ceremony, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Turkish Defense Industry Agency İsmail Demir, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, Chief of General Staff General Yaşar Güler, Land Forces Commander General Musa Avsever, Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, and Air Force Commander Atilla Gülan. The ceremony also included the sheet metal cutting for the 6th, 7th, and 8th ships of the MİLGEM project’s İstif class.
During his speech at the ceremony President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that “at the end of 7 years, we are putting our TCG Anadolu ship into service. We are happy and proud,” Erdogan thanked everyone who helped build Anadolu and will help build the latest tranche of İstif frigates, saying:
“the TCG Anadolu… is the world’s first warship in its field in which the world’s largest and heaviest helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles can land and take off. In other words, TCG Anadolu is the world’s first drone ship. The Bayraktar TB3, the Kızılelma Unmanned Fighter, and the HÜRJET Light Attack Aircraft will be able to land and take off from this ship. Furthermore, thanks to the tanks and armored amphibious assault vehicles it carries, this ship has the capabilities that will allow us to conduct military and humanitarian operations in any part of the world as needed.”
Hulusi Akar, Minister of National Defense, described the Anadolu as a great achievement and source of pride for Turkish engineering, craftsmanship, and the Turkish Naval Forces, saying, “the developments in the world and in our region, particularly the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the geography we are in demonstrate how strategically important, even indispensable, the supply of critical products and services by our domestic industry and national resources is. In this regard, developing our domestic and national defense industries is a struggle for our national future.”
Turkey’s first unmanned fighter aircraft Bayraktar Kızılelma and the folding wing Bayraktar TB3, developed by Baykar, were also present on the flight deck of the ship, as well as the Turkish Navy’s AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter and S-70 Seahawk helicopters. In an interview with the press following the delivery the new multi-purpose amphibious sssault ship, Baykar Chairman of the Board Selçuk Bayraktar stated, “for the first time in the world, we brought the Bayraktar TB3 with landing and take-off capability on a short-runway and the Bayraktar KIZILELMA, our country’s first unmanned fighter aircraft, to the ship. TB3 has not yet flown, and KIZILELMA’s flights continue. The TB3 will begin to operate on board in 2024, following its maiden flight. We will also have KIZILELMA ready for production by the end of 2023, with flights beginning in 2025 from the ship.” Bayraktar stated that the TB3 Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle can land and take off from the TCG Anadolu without the use of a catapult system, and that arresting gear will be integrated into the ship in the future for the KIZILELMA MİUS. Various studies are also ongoing to enable the TAI-developed HÜRJET Light Attack Aircraft to land and take off from the ship.
The project to build Anadolu was launched in 2015 in response to the Turkish Naval Forces Command’s requirements. TCG Anadolu, whose construction began on 30 April 2016 with the main contractorship of Sedef Shipyard in Istanbul Tuzla based on the design and license of the Spanish Navy ship Juan Carlos I (L61), was launched in May 2019 and began sea trials in June 2022. 131 subcontractors, universities and research centers also took part in the project, which is stated to have a locality rate of approximately 70%.
Described as the flagship of the Turkish Naval Forces, TCG Anadolu has a length of 231 meters and a width of 32 meters. Anadolu, with a height of 58 meters, has a 1,1010 square meter heavy load garage for heavy vehicles such as tanks and containers. The ship also has a 1,165-square-meter ship pool, an 880-square-meter light cargo garage, six landing areas, a flight deck with a 5,440-square-meter flight ramp, and a 900-square-meter hangar. TCG Anadolu will carry 12 manned or unmanned combat aircraft, 11 drones or 10 helicopters on the flight deck, and 30 SİHAs (T-B2/3) or 19 helicopters in the hangar. TCG Anadolu will carry 12 manned or unmanned combat aircraft on the flight deck, 11 drones or 10 helicopters in the hangar, and 30 SİHAs or 19 helicopters in the cargo hold. The ship’s vehicle deck can transport a total of 94 land vehicles, including 13 tanks, 27 armored amphibious assault vehicles (ZAHA), 6 armored personnel carriers, 33 miscellaneous vehicles, and 15 trailers. Four mechanized landing craft, each carrying one tank, can enter TCG Anadolu’s water-capable dock. With a maximum full load displacement of 27,436 tons, the ship can travel at a top speed of at least 20.5 knots and an economic speed of 16 knots. The TCG Anadolu LHD, which is designed to operate even at sea state 6, will be able to operate at sea for at least 50 days without supply and 90 days without home base support. The ship, which can accommodate 1,223 personnel, also has a full-fledged hospital facility and 2 operating rooms.
TCG Anadolu will be assigned primarily in national and international exercises, deterrence, search and rescue, humanitarian aid operations, and disaster and emergency activities during peacetime, according to Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces. In times of crisis or war, its missions will include amphibious and air operations, power transmission, evacuation operations, maritime control operations, command and control ship duties, surface warfare, air defense warfare, electronic warfare, and anti-submarine warfare in accordance with the capabilities of the aircraft which will be deployed on the ship.