TCG Anadolu Inventory File: When Was It Commissioned, How Many TB3s? (2026)

TCG Anadolu is a multi-purpose warship that can conduct amphibious landings while also carrying aircraft and helicopters. With a large flight deck, vehicle garage and well dock, it can move marines, armored vehicles and aircraft to distant areas of operation.

Based on Spain’s Juan Carlos I-class design, its strategic value for Türkiye is giving the country, for the first time, a power-projection capability — sustained air and amphibious presence in distant waters.

TCG Anadolu entered service on 10 April 2023 at Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul. Construction had begun in 2016, the keel was laid in 2018, and sea acceptance trials took place in 2022.

Soon after commissioning, it served as flagship of the Deniz Kurdu exercise in the Aegean and Mediterranean in June 2023 — the first major sign of its operational integration into the fleet.

TCG Anadolu belongs to the Turkish Naval Forces Command. As flagship of the amphibious task force, it is used for marine landings, humanitarian aid and disaster response, evacuation operations and sea-based operations with unmanned aircraft.

Its transformative feature is becoming a floating base for indigenous aircraft. The table below summarises the main air and naval elements it can embark.

TCG Anadolu was originally designed for F-35B STOVL jets. After Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 program, it was repurposed to operate folding-wing Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aircraft, and is referred to as the world’s first dedicated drone carrier.

Open sources say it can carry 30 to 50 TB3s, with at least 10 operable simultaneously via an integrated command center — giving Türkiye the ability to conduct air operations in distant waters with unmanned systems.

By design lineage, TCG Anadolu belongs to the same family as Spain’s Juan Carlos I and Australia’s Canberra class. But its use as a light carrier for unmanned aircraft places it in a distinct concept from platforms like the US America class or Japan’s Izumo class.

As such, it is studied worldwide as an example of integrating unmanned air systems into naval power — a way to obtain sea-based air power at lower cost than larger, more expensive carriers.

A second ship is on the agenda. Referred to in open sources as ‘TCG Trakya’, the platform is said to have evolved from a direct sister into a larger national aircraft carrier, expected in the mid-2030s.

The experience gained with the TB3 feeds directly into that larger ship’s design and unmanned-aircraft doctrine. TCG Anadolu is therefore seen not just as a ship but as the first major step in Türkiye’s aircraft-carrier journey.

The ship was built by Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, with design and technical support from Spain’s state shipbuilder Navantia, using a high share of domestic subcontractors and system integration.

Domestic firms such as ASELSAN and HAVELSAN contributed to the combat management system and electronics, advancing Turkish shipbuilding’s capability to construct large military vessels.

TCG Anadolu gives Türkiye, for the first time, sustained air and amphibious power in distant operating areas — a strategic leap for naval power under the ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine.

Its integration with unmanned aircraft extends Türkiye’s UAV leadership into the naval domain and builds critical experience for the future national aircraft-carrier project.

TCG Anadolu (L-400) entered Turkish Navy service on 10 April 2023 at Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul.

It was built by Sedef Shipyard in Istanbul in partnership with Spain’s Navantia, based on the Juan Carlos I-class landing platform dock design.

Reportedly 30 to 50 folding-wing Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs, with at least 10 operable simultaneously via the integrated command center.

It was originally designed for F-35B STOVL jets; after Türkiye was removed from the F-35 program, the ship was repurposed to operate unmanned aircraft, chiefly the Bayraktar TB3.

A second ship (TCG Trakya / a national aircraft carrier) is planned; open sources indicate it has evolved into a larger carrier design expected in the mid-2030s.

With a full-load displacement of 27,436 tonnes and a length of 232 m, it is the largest warship in the Turkish Navy’s inventory.