The extraordinary project, the new giant named MUGEM, is scheduled to enter service in 2030. It will be capable of carrying both fighter aircraft and stealth unmanned aerial vehicles.
The landmark initiative was formally launched last week by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. At the Teknofest Blue Homeland event held at the Naval Shipyard Command, the Turkish President launched the MUGEM project, which will be the first aircraft carrier designed and built domestically. Measuring 285 metres in length, 72 metres in width, and displacing more than 60,000 tonnes, this future giant of the seas will surpass France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier (261 metres, 42,500 tonnes), which has long been regarded as the Mediterranean’s most powerful flagship.
With this new project, Türkiye seeks to make a major impact on the naval stage. Lieutenant Engineer Aykut Demirezen told Türkiye Today that the national aircraft carrier already has the endurance to travel “from here to New York and back without refuelling”, emphasising its autonomous capabilities. According to hydrodynamic calculations, the redesigned bow of the ship is expected to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 1.5 per cent.
The pro-government daily Yeni Şafak reported that MUGEM (National Aircraft Carrier) is expected to be launched between 2027 and 2028 and commissioned in 2030, with a capacity to host around fifty aircraft. Unlike most Western carriers, which focus primarily on piloted aircraft, MUGEM has been designed from the outset to accommodate the latest generation of combat drones, including the Kızılelma and ANCA-III. It will also be capable of deploying the naval variant of the Hürjet light fighter. Ankara says over 80% of the components will be domestically produced to ensure strategic independence
"Our Goal is Independence at Sea"
After symbolically welding the final piece of the test ramp for future aircraft, President Erdoğan declared, “We will build an aircraft carrier even larger than the TCG Anadolu. Our goal is independence at sea and regional superiority. Speaking in Istanbul, the Turkish President praised the armed forces for “making history” and “inspiring oppressed peoples from Palestine to Somalia.”
The project forms part of Türkiye’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine, which seeks to expand the country’s influence across the Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea and Red Sea. This vessel will replace the TCG Anadolu, commissioned in 2022, and will be complemented by a second carrier currently under construction, the TCG Trakya.
If the timeline is met, Türkiye will join the select group of nations — including the United States, Russia, France and China — capable of designing a carrier of this scale. However, this record may not stand for long: France’s next-generation carrier, PANG (Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération), is due to enter service within a decade, weighing 75,000 tonnes and becoming the Mediterranean’s new giant.