Turkey and Iran have made progress in the development of so-called aircraft carriers. In addition, both countries claim that they are capable of building aircraft carriers in the future.
On Apr. 10, the Turkish Navy commissioned its new flagship, the TCG Anadolu (LHD-400) amphibious assault ship. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremony at the Sedef Shipyard and lauded the new vessel.
“TCG Anadolu is the world’s leading UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle) aircraft carrier,” he said. “Our Bayraktar TB3 UCAV, Kizilelma drone and Hurjet soft attack aircraft will take off and land on this ship. “
The Anadolu is a landing helicopter dock rather than a full-fledged aircraft carrier. Unlike the supercarriers of the United States Navy, the Anadolu can only support fighters with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, such as the F-35B variant. It is not wholly unlike the amphibious assault ships operated by the U.S. Marine Corps, which also carry F-35Bs.
After the United States banned Turkey from purchasing F-35s in 2019 for receiving the S-400 air defense missile formula it had purchased from Russia, Ankara used the Anadolu as a drone carrier. Türkiye then developed a naval edition of its famous Bayraktar. TB2 Drone. The Bayraktar TB3 is larger and has a heavier payload than its predecessor TB2. It also has foldable wings, meaning it will take up less area on the deck of the boat. A prototype was displayed to the public for the first time at the fair. end of April.
Anadolu will have an exclusive air wing if Turkey achieves its stated purpose of operating TB3 drones and Kizilelma unmanned fighter jets from its deck.
Regardless, the new flagship is not a full-fledged aircraft carrier and may in the end prove less capable than comparable amphibious attack ships with F-35Bs on their wings.
Erdogan has talked about Turkey potentially building aircraft carriers for years. He previously expressed his hope that the Anadolu project would become the first step toward developing “the most elite” of aircraft carriers.
Turkey isn’t the only regional country producing drone carriers and simultaneously talking about eventually building aircraft carriers. Its neighbor Iran also has some interesting projects in the works.
In early May, Brig. Gen. Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) Navy, said Iran plans to build a “unique” aircraft carrier.
“One of our most important current plans is the construction of an aircraft carrier. This ship will be unique in the world,” he said. “The carrier we talk about will have significant capabilities. In addition to carrying aircraft, this ship will have the capability to carry a large number of missile launchers, which will make the ship unique.”
Iranian officials have spoken publicly about Tehran’s plans to build aircraft carriers since at least 2014. In December 2016, Iranian media quoted Admiral Peiman Jafari Tehrani, the Navy’s deputy commander for coordination, as saying, “The structure of an aircraft carrier is among the targets pursued through the navy. And we hope to achieve that goal.
The following December, another Iranian official declared that Iran could build 200-meter-long warships “or aircraft carriers if the government does the budgeting.”
Iran is presently modifying two merchant ships to carry aircraft for the IRGC-Navy, the Shahid Mahdavi and Shahid Bagheri.
Speaking to Iranian national television on February 23, Tangsiri explained that the Shahid Mahdavi would receive 4 “missiles with a diversity of 750 and 300 kilometers (466 and 186 miles), and 3 helicopters could land and take off on its bridge. “
Meanwhile, the Shahid Bagheri will serve as a drone transporter. According to Tangsiri, she will have a 180-meter runway and will also bring 30 Ashura-class fast patrol boats.
On May 1, independent defense analyst H. I. Sutton highlighted the addition of a ski ramp on the Shahid Bagheri as part of its “single-cabin configuration. “
He further noted that the cockpit and ski jump are angled to the ship’s starboard side, “an alternative solution to the superstructure that runs the full width of the ship. “These tweaks will allow the drones to “land and take off,” it’s not yet clear. which models the IRGC will ultimately use on the ship.
In a previous investigation from December, Sutton noted that “the fact that the superstructure extends over the original deck means that a classic aircraft carrier configuration is possible. “
Turkish and Iranian officials often boast of their success in building indigenous warships. In his speech marking the Anadolu’s commissioning, Erdogan claimed 70 percent of the ship’s components were made in Turkey. Tangsiri similarly hailed the IRGC’s success in building destroyers.
However, none of those aircraft carriers were designed and built completely from scratch. The Anadolu, of course, is based on the design of the Spaniard Juan Carlos I. The Shahid Bagheri is a modified container shipping formerly known as the Perarin, introduced in 2000.
While those ships will allow Ankara and Tehran to allocate their force and provide truly extensive logistics for operations beyond their respective coasts, neither of them are a good enough replacement for a true aircraft carrier.