Turkey has unveiled its first amphibious assault ship today, aiming to expand the capabilities of its drones from land operations to naval missions. The ship (T.C.G. Anadolu) can only carry light aircraft, particularly helicopters and fighter jets that are capable of taking off from shorter runways. The vessel measures 232 meters in length and 32 meters in width, accommodating a battalion consisting of 1,400 personnel along with combat vehicles and support units to operate at sea. Turkey intends to equip the new ship with Bayraktar TB3 and KızılElma combat drones, both of which are being produced by the Turkish defense company Baykar, alongside the light attack aircraft Hürjet being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). Once the plan is implemented, T.C.G. Anadolu will become the world's first amphibious assault ship predominantly composed of armed drones.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated during the launch ceremony in Istanbul: "This ship will allow us to conduct military and humanitarian operations in every corner of the world if necessary. We see this ship as a symbol that will enhance Turkey's regional leadership."
The amphibious combat ship was built by a Turkish-Spanish consortium at the Istanbul shipyard based on the design of the Spanish light aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I. Ankara's original plan was to deploy F-35 fighter jets that can take off from shorter runways on its largest warships. However, it had to alter its plans after the United States removed Turkey, a NATO member, from the F-35 program due to Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems in 2019. Turkey then transformed the warship into a drone carrier.
