Türkiye launched an aircraft carrier weighing 60,000 tons, twice the size of the Anatolia!

The Turkish Navy briefed the media on developments at its shipyards, with special emphasis on the shipbuilding programme Second helicopter/aircraft carrier, which promises to be much larger than the TCG Anadolu, which has already been in service since last year. The 27,000-ton Anatolia is based on the design of Navantia Shipbuilding's Spanish helicopter/landing support carrier Juan Carlos, so the new vessel will be developed with this expertise.

However, the first specifications as recorded by www.defenceturkey.com are impressive, with a displacement of 60,000 tons (more than double the Anatolia), a length of 285 meters (up from 232), and a width of 72 at the widest point taken sideways. Off deck (of 32 Anatolia) and draft of 10.1 metres. The configuration for aircraft service will be dual, where at the bow there will be a docking ramp (STOBAR system) but also a side deck for docking with breakout cables. No aircraft launch system, i.e. catapults (something that requires very special knowledge) has been mentioned – at the moment – but it has been hinted that something like this could be incorporated a second time around, as there would be a space saving available.

The “New Anatolia” aims to carry manned and unmanned aircraft, with the Bayraktar TB3 and Kizilelma nominated here, as well as the Anka 3 as a drone, but also the Hurjet light fighter from the Turkish company Aerospase, in its next version, of course. As a total capacity, it was stated that the ship would be able to carry 50 aircraft (of all types), of which 30 were in the hangar and 20 on deck.

Propulsion will be provided by four LM2500 gas turbines (COGAG configuration) for a maximum speed of 25 knots, while the vessel has a range of 10,000 nautical miles.

For self-defense, the ship will carry a 32-cell MIDLAS anti-aircraft missile launcher, as well as 4 Gokdeniz close-in guns.

The Turkish Navy is conducting relevant research and development at its Design Directorate (DPO) in cooperation with both government and private companies, while a special team of 110 people has been formed, it was said, to handle the new. Aircraft carrier. However, the plan they showed is not the final plan, as they also presented alternative configurations.

Another goal is to increase local added value in new construction. In Anatolia, the Turks say they have reached 70%, so they are now aiming even higher, with a few critical quorums, such as the ship's main engines remaining imported.

To have an order of magnitude, if the above-mentioned Turkish plans succeed, Then the neighboring country would get an aircraft carrier equivalent to the British Navy's new Queen Elizabeth classIt has a payload of 65 thousand tons, a length of 284 meters, and carries 28 F-35B fighters and helicopters. That is, Ankara has ambitions to reach a technological leap The top three in the world in terms of aircraft carrier size: After the American Gerald R. Ford class, 100 thousand tons, and the Chinese – under construction – Fujian, 80 thousand tons.