According to information from Türkiye, the country’s first aircraft carrier will be 300 meters in length, making it one of the longest aircraft carriers within NATO. Turkish President Erdoğan stressed that construction work has begun.
Türkiye aims to achieve independence in the defence sector and plans to develop a new launch system for its aircraft carrier. The country announced on Saturday that its first future aircraft carrier will measure 300 meters in length. This will make the vessel one of the longest aircraft carriers operated by NATO allies. Speaking at a shipyard in Istanbul, Erdoğan drew attention to the change in the aircraft carrier’s size while discussing the Turkish maritime industry. The President stated that construction of the new aircraft carrier has begun. He described the vessel as the “big brother” of the Turkish Naval Forces’ 80-meter-long amphibious assault ship, TCG Anadolu.
The aircraft carrier competes with its US counterpart
Towards the end of 2024, when Türkiye first began disclosing details about the aircraft carrier initially referred to as the MUGEM class, it was expected to have a displacement capacity of 60,000 tons and a length of 285 meters. The main plan envisioned the aircraft carrier accommodating up to 50 aircraft, including 20 on the flight deck, and operating with a crew of around 800 personnel. This will bring its length closer to that of the US aircraft carriers, which are the largest in the world. The USS Gerald R. Ford measures approximately 337 meters in length and has a full-load displacement of 100,000 tons. By comparison, the older Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are roughly 333 meters long and also have a displacement of around 100,000 tons.
The new Turkish ship will be significantly longer than the British Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, which are approximately 294 metres in length and weigh around 80,000 tonnes. The much older French carrier, Charles de Gaulle, is 261 meters long and has a displacement of approximately 42,500 tons.