Türkiye's future aircraft carrier poised to topple French giant in Mediterranean by size

Türkiye is on the path to become the country with the largest warship in the Mediterranean with its latest venture, the National Aircraft Carrier project (MUGEM).

An article by the French Le Figaro publication sheds light on the country's extraordinary project that was announced by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Teknofest Blue Homeland event on August 28.

Upon completion of the project, it will become the first aircraft carrier to be designed and built in Türkiye. With its 285 meters long, 72 meters wide and a displacement of more than 60,000 tons, this future giant of the seas will clearly surpass the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (261 meters, 42,500 tons), until now the most powerful flagship in the Mediterranean.

The giant MUGEM project (Milli Uçak Gemisi, "national aircraft carrier") is scheduled to be completed between 2027 and 2028 and enter service by 2030. It will be able of carrying combat aircraft as well as next-generation attack drones such as Kızılelma and ANKA 3, a feature that differentiates it from its Western ships that are traditionally focued on carrying manned aviation.

The article cites Turkish Lieutenant Engineer Aykut Demirezen, who recently told local media that the vessel will be able to sail from Turkey to New York and back without refuelling. He noted that the special design of the bow allows for up to 1.5% fuel savings.

Le Figaro also highlighted that over 80% of the carrier’s components will be produced in Turkey, a project that will place the country onto the short list of countries capable of independently building ships of this class, alongside the USA, Russia, France, and China.

The race for the largest aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean is in full swing, with France having its own upgrade in the pipelines. While the PANG project (New Generation Aircraft Carrier) is still in the design process, initial reports inform that it aims to become the largest naval vessel ever built in Europe. Weighing about 75,000 tons, it is set to replace the Charles de Gaulle in 2038 if approved in time.

By Nazrin Sadigova