TSAMTO, June 29. The Turkish Navy has begun sea acceptance tests of the amphibious helicopter dock ship (DVKD) L400 "Anadolu" (Anadolu).
As reported by Janes.com with reference to the statement of the head of the Directorate of Defense Industry of Turkey (SSB) Ismail Demir on June 25 in the official Twitter account, the vessel should be put into operation in December.
After completion of acceptance tests, the future flagship of the Turkish Navy will become the largest ship in the Turkish navy.
As already reported by TSAMTO, in December 2013, the Executive Committee of the Turkish Defense Industry decided to select the shipbuilding company SEDEF Gemi Insaati as the preferred candidate to win the tender for the supply of a new DVKD under the Havuzlu Cikarma Gemisi (HCG) program. The contract for the construction of the ship was signed by the Defense Industry Secretariat of the Turkish Ministry of Defense (SSM) with SEDEF Gemi Insaati in May 2015. The construction was carried out on the basis of the project of the universal landing ship (UDC) L-61 "Juan Carlos I" developed by the Spanish company Navantia. SEDEF and Navantia signed the corresponding contract on July 30, 2015. The total cost of the project was estimated at 1 billion. euro.
Navantia provided project development, technology and equipment transfer, and also provided technical assistance to SEDEF during the construction of the ship in Turkey. The agreement included the supply of 5 diesel generators manufactured by Navantia, as well as an integrated platform management system.
Steel cutting for the construction of Anadolu began on April 30, 2016. The ceremony of laying the keel of the ship took place at the SEDEF Gemi Insaati enterprise in Tuzla (Istanbul) on February 7, 2018, the launching ceremony took place on May 4, 2019. After that, the ship was equipped with additional equipment. In February of this year, the factory sea trials of the DVKD began.
The HCG program involves the supply, in addition to the DVKD, of four LCM (landing craft mechanized) landing boats, which will be built at the SEDEF shipyard. The procurement project also provides for the supply of 27 amphibious armored personnel carriers (AAV), two LCPV landing boats, a control boat and one rigid-hulled inflatable dinghy. An amphibious hovercraft (LCAC) will be purchased separately.
The Turkish DVKD is designed taking into account the possibility of operating both helicopters and F-35B aircraft (the United States withdrew Turkey from this program). The DVKD will be equipped with a marine version of the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aerial vehicle, which has a more powerful engine compared to the TB2 and folding wings. The integration of UAVs is planned to begin in 2023.
The contract provided for an option to supply a second DVD, which received the working name "Thracia", but the option has not yet been implemented. An updated proposal for the construction of a second, larger DVKD, the Spanish company presented SEDEF in 2020. The new vessel can be configured as a light aircraft carrier.
