Turkish army receives first indigenously-made 'drone carrier'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Apr 2023 00:01

Over the years, Turkey has channeled considerable amounts of resources into developing its defense industry.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seen attending the TCG Anadolu ship delivery ceremony and the new MİLGEM frigates steel cutting ceremony on April 10, 2023. (Twitter)

Turkish sources reported on Monday that authorities unveiled an amphibious assault ship, the TGC Anadolu, which will be used to carry light aircraft and military drones.

According to sources, the ship is 231 meters (758 feet) long and 32 meters (105 feet) wide. It can reportedly accommodate up to 94 vehicles on its platform, including 13 tanks, as well as combat helicopters and military drones.

"The TCG Anadolu is the world's first ship that carries armed drones," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed at the unveiling inauguration.

"Turkish Bayraktar TB3 and Kizilelma drones and the light Hurjet fighters will be able to take off from and land on the ship," he added, noting that the ship would allow Turkey to "carry out military and humanitarian operations in the four corners of the world if necessary".

Türkiye'nin bugüne kadar imal ettiği en büyük savunma sanayii projesi olan TGC Anadolu gemisinin hizmete girişi hem göğsümüzü kabarttı hem de gelecek adına ümitlendirdi

Makûs talihimizi yeneceğiz inşaallah pic.twitter.com/8fvEHY0jmK
— mustafarmagan (@mustafarmagan) April 10, 2023

Over the years, Turkey has channeled considerable amounts of resources into developing its defense industry.

Ankara has hailed developments in the field of combat drones, in particular drones developed by the defense company Baykar, which have been used in Azerbaijan, Libya, and Ukraine.

Although Ukraine used the drones in the first hours of Russia's special military operation last year, Turkey maintains that it is committed to acting as a mediator between Kiev and Moscow.

TGC Anadolu’nun Deniz Kuvvetleri’ne teslimi ile Yeni MİLGEM Fırkateynleri Saç Kesimi törenlerine katılım sağladık. Mühendislerimizle, işçilerimizle, girişimcilerimizle, savunma sanayimizle ve Kahraman Ordumuzla gurur duyduk. pic.twitter.com/VnyZZVzFkl
— Mustafa Destici (@Mustafa_Destici) April 10, 2023

Erdogan said that this is the first warship ever made that carries UAVs. However, earlier in February this year, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran is preparing to unveil the Shahid Bahman Bagheri warship.

The warship, which is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) carrier, will include a runway of 180 meters in length on which the light aircraft land on wheels, in addition to "about 30 Ashura-class destroyers" carried in "the lower part of the Shahid Bagheri carrier."

According to Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, "In the near future, we will add Shahid Soleimani 2 under the name of Shahid Bahman Bagheri, which was designed and produced locally by our youth, to the IRGC Navy's combat organization in the IRGC's 2nd maritime District [in the Gulf]."

According to the commander, these warships "are invisible to radars" and can withstand challenging circumstances as "their resilience is very high." Furthermore, Tangsiri noted that the missiles, which the vessel will utilize, "are also being manufactured locally inside the country."