Target for Turkey's national aircraft carrier project is to launch by the end of 2027
Minister Kacır stated that efforts are underway to launch MUGEM by the end of 2027. The project's target for entry into service had previously been announced as 2032.
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Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır announced that the target for Turkey's national aircraft carrier project is to launch the ship by the end of 2027. In his remarks at the Teknofest Blue Homeland event held in Gölcük, Kocaeli, Kacır highlighted the platforms developed for the Turkish Navy in recent years.
Regarding Turkey's maritime power vision, Kacır stated, "Turkey is no longer content with just protecting its coasts. Turkey has a global, intercontinental ambition." The entry-into-service target for the national aircraft carrier project, which began in 2023, had previously been announced as 2032.
KEY TECHNICAL DETAILS OF THE PROJECT
When completed, the project, referred to as MUGEM, will be the largest ship in the Turkish Navy. According to information previously shared by Rear Admiral Hakan Uçar, Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces Naval Technical Command, the ship is planned to have a length of 285 meters, a maximum beam of 72 meters, a draft of 10.1 meters, and a displacement of 60 thousand tons.
The ship will be able to accommodate a total of up to 2,500 personnel and crew. According to a presentation shared by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, the aircraft carrier will be able to carry 52 aircraft. The platform is also intended to have the capacity to deploy and recover unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned underwater vehicles.
The project plans to utilize radar and electronic systems developed by Turkey. Previous statements indicated that the target for the localization rate on the ship is 80 percent.
TCG Anadolu, Turkey's current largest naval platform, is categorized as an amphibious assault ship derived from Spain's Juan Carlos I vessel. TCG Anadolu is used to operate primarily with helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles rather than fighter jets.
Aircraft carriers are in the inventories of a limited number of countries worldwide. The US, UK, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Russia operate aircraft carriers or large aviation ships capable of deploying fighter jets with varying capacities.