First look at Turkish Navy’s future aircraft carrier

On February 16, 2024, the Ministry of National Defence shared photos showcasing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to the Turkish Navy's Design Project Office.

The images revealed the design and various features of the Turkish Navy's future aircraft carrier, Naval News reports.

Tayfun Ozberk  19 Feb 2024

Turkish President visited the Turkish Navy’s Design Project Office, which is based in the premises of the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, to inspect the latest developments in the indigenous aircraft carrier project on February 16. The Head of the Turkish Defence Agency (SSB), the Chief of the Turkish Navy, and high-level representatives of the Turkish companies accompanied the President.

“During the visit, the design activities of the National Aircraft Carrier, which was realized with the high engineering-based superior design capability of the Design Project Office Directorate and the warship design tradition and experience of our engineers crowned with the design and manufacturing of the latest TCG Istanbul Frigate, were inspected on site.”

Turkish Defence Ministry official X account

The visit also revealed that the design process of an indigenous aircraft carrier project had already begun. Undoubtedly, the most intriguing detail of this visit is a picture of the Turkish Navy Chief in front of a picture, which shows the initial design and general features of the future aircraft carrier.

The picture suggests a 60,000-tonne carrier with a length of 285 meters. It’s also visible on the picture that the carrier will feature a STOBAR (short take-off, barrier-arrested recovery) system for air operations. The main propulsion system will be COGAG (Combined gas turbine and gas turbine) delivering a 25-knot top speed to the carrier.

Another noteworthy detail captured in the photo was the presence of jets onboard. The drawing featured the indigenous fighter jet, KAAN (formerly known as TF-X), poised to make its maiden flight soon. While there is currently no known development of a naval version for KAAN, the strategic placement of the aircraft on the carrier in the drawing indicated a clear intention in the choice of aircraft.

Future Turkish Aircraft Carrier

President Erdoğan first expressed the Turkish Navy’s intention to utilize aircraft carriers during a meeting with his Spanish counterpart in 2021. Following and during this meeting, Erdoğan revealed plans for a carrier collaboration with Spain, highlighting the construction of a current carrier and the ambition to build a larger one in the future. In subsequent discussions, Erdoğan hinted at potential cooperation with Spain in the development of aircraft carriers and submarines.

Naval News investigated this matter during the World Defence Show in Riyadh from February 4-8, visiting the Navantia booth. Inquiries revealed ongoing talks about collaboration on submarines and a new Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD). Despite the official term used by Navantia being LHD, the latest shared photo from the recent visit suggests a clear intention toward a full-fledged aircraft carrier. It’s worth noting that the drawing was exclusively crafted by Turkish Navy engineers. The extent and nature of cooperation with Spain are yet to be officially announced.

The STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) solution appears to be the most viable in terms of cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, adjustments to the design may occur based on evolving needs and the current geopolitical landscape.