TCG Anadolu

Juan Carlos I in Istanbul, Turkey, May 2011.

In December 2013, the Turkish LPD/LHD program was originally estimated to cost €375 million ($500 million).[22] According to the original plan, the Turkish Navy wanted a slightly shorter flight deck without the ski-jump ramp in front, to be optimized for use with only helicopters.[23]

However, the Turkish Navy later changed its plan and opted for a fully equipped flight deck with the ski-jump ramp in front, after deciding to purchase F-35B STOVL aircraft.[23][24][2][3][7] Turkey was a Level 3 partner in the Joint Strike Fighter program and the Turkish Air Force was intending to get the F-35A CTOL version until the USA blocked the export of the advanced fighter jet to Turkey. The Turkish version of the LHD will be capable of operating up to 12 helicopters or 12 F-35Bs operated by NATO allies in "light aircraft carrier" configuration.[23][25] The dimensions of the final design are 231 meters (757 ft 10 in) in length, a 32-meter (105 ft 0 in) beam, a 6.8-meter (22 ft 4 in) draft, and 58 meters (190 ft 3 in) in height.[23] Its displacement will be 24,660 tons (in "light aircraft carrier" mission configuration) or 27,079 tons (in "LHD" mission configuration).[23] Its maximum speed will be 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) (in "light aircraft carrier" configuration) or 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) (in "LHD" configuration);[23] while its maximum range will be 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at economical speed.[23] It will have a 5,440 m² (58,600 sq ft) flight deck and a 990 m² (10,700 sq ft) aviation hangar which can accommodate either 12 medium-sized helicopters or 8 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.[23] (When the aviation hangar and the light cargo garage are unified, the ship can carry up to 25 medium-sized helicopters.[23] Alternatively, the ship can carry up to 12 F-35B and 12 helicopters.[23] Six more helicopters can be hosted on the flight deck of the ship.[23]) Additionally, the ship will have a 1,880 m² (20,200 sq ft) light cargo garage for TEU containers and 27 Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV);[23] a 1,165 m² (12,540 sq ft) dock which can host four Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) or two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), or two Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP);[23] and a 1,410 m² (15,200 sq ft) garage for heavy loads, which can host 29 Main Battle Tanks (MBT), Amphibious Assault Vehicles, and TEU containers.[23] The ship will be protected by the ARAS-2023 diver detection sonar (DDS), and will have a crew consisting of 261 personnel: 30 officers, 49 NCOs, 59 leading seamen, and 123 ratings.[26][23]

The final contract for the construction of the ship was signed with the Navantia-Sedef consortium on 7 May 2015.[23][24][27][28] The commissioning of the ship is scheduled for 2021,[23][24][27][28] and the estimated cost of the ship according to the final specifications is $1 billion in 2015.[23] The construction works began on 30 April 2016 at the shipyard of Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. in Istanbul.[2][3][4][7]

The ship caught fire whilst in dry dock on the evening of 29 April 2019.[29]

On 21 November 2019, Turkish Defense Industry Minister Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir announced that TCG Anadolu would enter service one year ahead of schedule at the end 2020, instead of 2021.[30]