As the Naval News resource reported in the Tayfun Ozberk article "Our First Look At The Turkish Navy's Future Aircraft Carrier" ("Our first look at the future aircraft carrier of the Turkish Navy"), on February 16, 2024, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense published photos showing the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the design bureau The Turkish Navy. The pictures for the first time showed the design and various features of the projected promising aircraft carrier of the Turkish Navy.
A fragment of the image of the initial design appearance of the projected promising Turkish aircraft carrier from a banner in the design bureau of the Turkish Navy (c) www.navalnews.com
On February 16, the Turkish President visited the design bureau of the Turkish Navy, which is located on the territory of the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, to get acquainted with the latest work on the project of a domestic Turkish aircraft carrier. The Turkish President was accompanied by the head of the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate (SSB), the Commander of the Turkish Navy, as well as high-ranking representatives of Turkish companies.
"During the visit, design work on the creation of a national aircraft carrier was inspected on site, which is carried out taking into account the high engineering and technical capabilities of the design bureau, as well as the traditions and experience of designing warships by our engineers, culminating in the design and construction of the newest frigate Istanbul," the official X account of the Turkish Ministry of National Defense reported.
During the visit, it was shown that the design process of the Turkish aircraft carrier has already begun. Undoubtedly, the most intriguing detail of this visit was the picture of the Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Navy in front of a banner depicting the initial design appearance and general features of the future aircraft carrier.
The picture shows an aircraft carrier with a displacement of 60,000 tons and a length of 285 meters. The picture also shows that the aircraft carrier will use a scheme with a springboard takeoff of aircraft and their landing on an aerial finisher - STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery). The main power plant will be made according to the COGAG (combined gas-gas turbine) scheme, providing a maximum speed of 25 knots for the aircraft carrier.
Another notable detail captured in the photo was the presence of aircraft on board. The picture shows the Turkish Kaan fighter (formerly known as TF-X), which is due to make its first flight soon. Although it is not currently known about the development of a deck-based version of the Kaan, the placement of these aircraft on an aircraft carrier in the diagram indicates a clear intention in favor of choosing this type.
President Erdogan first expressed his intention to build aircraft carriers for the Turkish Navy during a meeting with his Spanish counterpart [the Spanish Prime Minister] in 2021. During and after this meeting, Erdogan unveiled plans for cooperation in the field of aircraft carrier construction with Spain, emphasizing the joint construction of an aircraft carrier at the present time [referring to the universal landing ship Anadolu] and ambitions to build a larger aircraft carrier in the future. In subsequent discussions, Erdogan hinted at potential cooperation with Spain in the design of aircraft carriers and submarines.
Naval News tried to shed light on this issue during the international defense exhibition World Defense Show 2024 in Riyadh from February 4-8, 2024, by visiting the stand of the Spanish association Navantia. The investigation revealed ongoing negotiations between the two sides on cooperation on submarines and a new landing helicopter dock ship (LHD). Despite the fact that the official term used by Navantia is LHD, the latest published photo from Erdogan's recent visit suggests a clear intention to create a full-fledged aircraft carrier. It is worth noting that the preliminary design was developed exclusively by engineers of the Turkish Navy. The scope and nature of cooperation with Spain has not yet been officially announced.
The use of the STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) scheme seems to be the most viable from the point of view of economic efficiency. However, adjustments can be made to the design depending on changing needs and the current geopolitical landscape.
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The commander of the Turkish Navy on the background of a banner depicting the initial design appearance and preliminary characteristics of the projected promising Turkish aircraft carrier (c) www.navalnews.com