Sourced : War is Boring
By Paul Iddon
Upon overseeing the launch of a domestically-built corvette in July 2017, Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced his country’s goal of building “our own aircraft carriers” as part of Ankara’s efforts to “become independent in the field of defense by 2023.”
“We must move even faster,” Erdogan declared. “We are proud of our ability to build military ships, especially construction of submarines.”
Erdogan’s remark isn’t necessarily far-fetched. It comes more than a year after Turkey began construction on the TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault ship based on Spain’s Juan Carlos I. This light aircraft carrier, which Turkey aims to launch in three years time, will eventually become the flagship of the Turkish navy and may even carry six F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, which can take off and land vertically.
Turkey already has plans to become an F-35 operator and may well purchase these variants.
Alternatively, the Anadolu could serve purely as a helicopter carrier, carrying TAI/AgustaWestland T129 helicopter gunships, which Turkey co-produced with Italy, along with Chinook-sized heavy-lift helicopters. Spain’s Juan Carlos I, in addition to acting as a troop-carrying ship, carries Spain’s current AV-8B Harrier jump jets.
Image Sourced : National Interest
Read more at : http://warisboring.com/why-in-the-world-does-turkey-want-an-aircraft-carrier/