Turkey Confirms the Start of Construction of a 300-Metre Aircraft Carrier

Turkey declared on Saturday that the length of its upcoming first aircraft carrier will now be 300 metres, or about 984 feet, making it one of the longest ships used by NATO partners.

Notably, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, announced that work on a new aircraft carrier had begun at a shipyard in Istanbul, calling it the “older brother” of the 261-foot-long TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault vessel for the Turkish navy.

Modern Naval Warfare: The Strategic Significance of Aircraft-Carrying Capabilities

The length of a warship does not equate to its actual size, which is better represented by tons of water displaced. However, a carrier's length affects flight deck space, influencing aircraft capacity, runway length, and launching systems used.

Moreover, when Turkey started releasing information on their carrier, which is currently known as the MUGEM-class, in late 2024, it was intended to be 935 feet long and capable of carrying 60,000 tonnes of water.

According to the initial plans, the carrier would have a crew of 800 and be able to carry up to 50 aircraft, including 20 on the flight deck.

The length range of American carriers, the biggest in the world, is currently getting close to it. The earlier Nimitz-class carriers are around 1,092 feet long and have a displacement of about 100,000 tonnes, whereas the USS Gerald R. Ford is 1,107 feet long and has a displacement of 100,000 tonnes at full load.

Turkey's Initiative for Fresh Aircraft Carriers

The UK's Queen Elizabeth-class ships, which are 932 feet long and carry over 80,000 tonnes, and France's Charles De Gaulle, a far older ship that is 857 feet long and carries about 42,500 tonnes, are both significantly behind the Turkish ship's new length.

Despite being a member of NATO, Turkey has long aimed to use its own military technology to attain defence independence.

Originally intended to have a ski-jump ramp for aircraft takeoff, the new carrier is now anticipated to employ a locally manufactured catapult technology.

Since the US excluded the ship from the fighter programme after acquiring Russian S-400s in 2019, Turkey is unlikely to use vertical-takeoff F-35Bs on the vessel.

Furthermore, Erdogan highlighted the ULAQ, a new unmanned surface vehicle, and announced the commissioning of the TCG Hızırreis, the second of Turkey's Reis-class submarines, during the Saturday event.

In terms of active personnel, Turkey has the second-largest standing military in NATO, second only to the United States.

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