Turkey Officially Operates TCG Anadolu, President Erdogan: The World's First Drone Carrier, Strengthens The Position Of Our Country

President Erdogan inaugurated the launch of Turkey's TCG Anadolu (L-400) drone aircraft carrier. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkey)

JAKARTA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the achievement of his defense industry, when Turkey launched the world's first drone aircraft carrier that could also be used for humanitarian missions, in addition to TCG Anadolu (L-400) military missions on Monday.

"We see this ship as a symbol that will strengthen our position as a firm country in the world and a leader in our region. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the construction of TCG Anadolu," President Erdogan said, launching the official website of the Turkish Presidential Decree on April 10.

President Erdogan further said the ship also has the capability to transport light attack jets to tanks, allowing it to carry out military and humanitarian operations in various parts of the world.

"The AnadoluTCG is the world's first UCAV aircraft carrier. The Bayraktar TB-3 UCAV unmanned fighter jet, Kryptzegelma, and our HryptojeT light attack aircraft will be able to take off and land on this ship. Also, thanks to the armored amphibious assault tanks and vehicles it carries, this ship has features that allow us to carry out military and humanitarian operations in every corner of the world if needed", he explained.

"Thanks to TCG Anadolu, we will be able to easily deploy battalion-level troops to crisis zones in Aegean, Mediterranean, and the Black Sea without the need for main base supporters," he continued.

"With the delivery of our amphibious assault ships, we have taken a major step towards the production of our national aircraft carriers. I believe our shipbuilding industry is also capable of producing national aircraft carriers," said President Erdogan.

Quoting Daily Sabah, made based on a Spanish-owned type ship, Juan Carlos I (L-61), TCG Anadolu is a landing helicopter dock (LHD) type amphibious assault ship. It is 231 meters (758 ft) long and 32 meters wide and has a displacement of 27,436 tons. It has the highest speed of about 21 knots, a range of 9,000 nautical miles and can operate in the sea for 50 days.

The ship was ordered in 2015, starting testing in February 2018 and launched in April 2019. The inauguration was scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19.pat pandemic."

President Erdogan said 70 percent of the parts used in the construction of the Anadolu TCG were made in Turkey, stressing that the government would "introduce more sophisticated technologies that are more domestic and national in nature to our country."

It is known, TCG Anadolu was originally intended to operate like a similar amphibious assault ship and carry a fleet of helicopters and short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighters, such as the F-35B Lockheed Martin variant of the fifth generation stealth aircraft.

However, such prospects have eased after the United States removed Turkey from a multinational program developing its F-35 fighter jets, due to Ankara's decision to acquire Russia-made S-400 air missile defense systems by 2019.

In addition to the Bayraktar TB3 drone which is expected to be the main force of this ship, the Anadolu TCG can also carry the Kizilelma unmanned fighter jet, the T129 Atak helicopter, the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter, the SH-70B helicopter, to armored vehicles and battalion-level troops, depending on the mission configuration.