# TCG Anadolu
**TCG Anadolu** (L-400) is a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship (LHD) of the Turkish Navy, the largest warship in that fleet and, after its conversion from a fixed-wing design, which President Erdoğan described at its delivery as the first UCAV carrier in the world.[1](https://www.navantia.es/en/product/l400-anadolu/) Built at Sedef Shipyard in Istanbul on the basis of the Spanish Navantia LHD Juan Carlos I, it was delivered to the [Turkish Naval Forces](https://www.edgepedia.org/turkish-naval-forces) on 10 April 2023.[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type and hull number | Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD), L-400; capable of acting as aircraft carrier, amphibious ship, hospital, and command center[1](https://www.navantia.es/en/product/l400-anadolu/) |
| Dimensions and performance | 231 m long, 32 m wide; full-load displacement up to 27,436 t; 20.5 knots maximum and 16 knots economical; 9,000 nautical miles at economical speed[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) |
| Construction timeline | Contract 1 June 2015; steel cut 30 April 2016; first block laid 5 February 2018; launched 4 May 2019; delivered 10 April 2023[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) |
| Air capacity | Up to 41 UCAVs or 29 helicopters: 11 UCAVs or 10 helicopters on the 5,440 m² flight deck and 30 UCAVs or 19 helicopters in the hangar[3](https://defenceturkey.com/files/issues/6478541c9efde.pdf) |
| Amphibious lift | A battalion-sized force with combat and support vehicles without reliance on a main base; 94 vehicles on the vehicle decks and four tank-carrying LCMs in the well deck[4](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/en/project/multi-purpose-amphibious-assault-ship-lhd-project) • [2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) |
| Hospital role | Hospital complex of at least 30 beds with operating rooms, X-ray, dental units, intensive care, and isolation wards[4](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/en/project/multi-purpose-amphibious-assault-ship-lhd-project) |
| Indigenous share | Approximately 70 percent, with 131 subcontractors plus universities and research centers[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) |
## Design and construction
The project began in 2015 under the Presidency of Defense Industries, responding to a requirement of the Turkish Naval Forces Command.[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) Sedef Shipyard won the tender in 2013 and started construction in 2016 as the main contractor, working with Navantia technology.[5](https://www.duratek.com.tr/en/l400) • [1](https://www.navantia.es/en/product/l400-anadolu/) The design follows the Spanish Juan Carlos I, a class of about 27,000 tons whose other operators are Spain and Australia.[6](https://warontherocks.com/turkeys-future-drone-carriers/)
The ship's systems, including weapon systems, the combat management system, electronic warfare, infrared search and track, electro-optical search, laser warning, torpedo defense, radar, communications, navigation, and data distribution, were developed by the Turkish domestic industry.[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) At delivery, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the project had an indigenization rate of approximately 70 percent.[7](https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/english/haberler/detay/tcg-anadolu-is-the-first-ucav-carrier-in-the-world)
## From F-35B carrier to drone carrier
The ship was originally fitted with a ski-jump ramp and a flight deck prepared for the F-35B, the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35, because Turkey was an active member of the [Joint Strike Fighter program](https://www.edgepedia.org/joint-strike-fighter-program) when construction began.[8](https://www.turkishminute.com/2021/08/20/lhd-tcg-anadolu-cant-fill-f-35b-gap/amp/) After Turkey's 2017 purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, the United States removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019, and the option of converting TCG Anadolu into a UCAV carrier was put forward in 2020, with the Baykar Bayraktar TB-3 selected for shipboard operation.[3](https://defenceturkey.com/files/issues/6478541c9efde.pdf)
At the delivery ceremony on 10 April 2023, Erdoğan described TCG Anadolu as the first UCAV carrier in the world, a warship on which the largest and heaviest helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles can land and take off.[7](https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/english/haberler/detay/tcg-anadolu-is-the-first-ucav-carrier-in-the-world) He also announced that the Bayraktar TB-3, the Kızılelma unmanned fighter, and the HÜRJET light attack aircraft would be able to take off and land on the ship.[9](https://f.invest.gov.tr/en/news/news-from-turkey/pages/president-erdogan-unveils-tcg-anadolu-the-worlds-first-ucav-carrier.aspx) Analysts note the limits of the conversion: the deck was designed only for VTOL and STOVL aircraft, and carrier-borne drones remain a light offensive capability best suited to lower-intensity environments, with fleet air defense falling to escorting ships.[8](https://www.turkishminute.com/2021/08/20/lhd-tcg-anadolu-cant-fill-f-35b-gap/amp/) • [6](https://warontherocks.com/turkeys-future-drone-carriers/)
## Amphibious and hospital capabilities
TCG Anadolu can transport a marine battalion with its combat and support vehicles to crisis zones without reliance on a main base, and its well deck allows landing operations with embarked landing craft.[4](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/en/project/multi-purpose-amphibious-assault-ship-lhd-project) The vehicle decks carry 13 tanks, 27 ZAHA armored amphibious assault vehicles, 6 armored personnel carriers, 33 miscellaneous vehicles, and 15 trailers, 94 vehicles in total, and the floodable well deck accommodates four mechanized landing craft (LCM), each carrying one tank.[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) The ship has berthing for 1,223 personnel.[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK)
For humanitarian missions, the onboard hospital includes operating rooms, X-ray equipment, dental treatment units, intensive care, and isolation wards, allowing the ship to serve as a hospital ship in disaster relief and evacuation operations.[4](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/en/project/multi-purpose-amphibious-assault-ship-lhd-project)
## Air wing and Bayraktar TB3 operations
The central aircraft of the drone-carrier concept is the Bayraktar TB3, a carrier-adapted evolution of the TB2 with folding wings, retractable undercarriage, and a domestically developed TEI PD-170 diesel engine.[10](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/11/bayraktar-tb3-takesoff-and-land-aboard-turkish-carrier/) On 19 November 2024, the TB3 prototype PT2 became the first armed unmanned aerial vehicle to take off and land on a short-deck ship, launching from TCG Anadolu's 12-degree inclined ramp, flying a 46-minute test sortie over the junction of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, and landing back on the short deck without any landing support equipment.[10](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/11/bayraktar-tb3-takesoff-and-land-aboard-turkish-carrier/)
**First combat strikes.** During the Denizkurdu-II 2025 (Sea Wolf 2 2025) national live-firing exercise, held between 6 and 17 May 2025, two TB3 prototypes took off from TCG Anadolu, each armed with two MAM-L lightweight smart munitions, and struck a target on Devecitaşı Island near Antalya before landing back on the ship, the first shipborne strike by the type.[11](https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/sea/turkish-navy-demonstrates-combat-readiness-in-denizkurdu-ii-2025) On the exercise's Distinguished Observer Day, TB3s PT-3 and PT-4 launched consecutively from the ship and hit land targets with four MAM-L munitions in two salvo launches, flying fully autonomously under Baykar's AI-assisted mission algorithms with control from the ground control station aboard the ship.[12](https://www.baykartech.com/en/press/bulls-eye-from-bayraktar-tb3-at-seawolf-exercise/)
**NATO operations.** During NATO's Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise in the [Baltic Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltic-sea), TB3s operating from TCG Anadolu flew 232 sorties, striking a maritime target with a ROKETSAN MAM-L and returning to the ship, with the entire takeoff-to-landing cycle conducted autonomously in conditions reaching minus 6 degrees Celsius.[13](https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/ENGLISH/dis_basinda_turkiye/detay/turkish-navy-successfully-carries-out-inaugural-live-fire-test-of-carrier-based-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-global-economic) The ship also led an amphibious task group in NATO's Neptune Strike 25.3 exercise in the [Adriatic Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/adriatic-sea) beginning 22 September 2025.[14](https://www.ikv.org.tr/images/files/ikv_monthly_126_november.pdf)
## Significance
TCG Anadolu is the flagship of the Turkish Navy and the largest naval platform in its inventory, and only twelve countries operate a ship of this scale.[2](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK) Its conversion into a [drone carrier](https://www.edgepedia.org/drone-carrier) has been read as a case study in reimagining a carrier around unmanned operations: drone carriers offer flexibility and cost-effectiveness in lower-intensity missions while facing limitations in high-intensity warfare against concentrated air defenses.[15](https://finabel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IF-Nicola-Bonsegna-March-2025.pdf) The concept has already spread: the [Italian Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/italian-navy) is preparing TB-3 drones built with Leonardo for its carrier [ITS Cavour](https://www.edgepedia.org/italian-aircraft-carrier-cavour), adopting the same aircraft for F-35B-equipped operations.[16](https://maritime-executive.com/article/italian-navy-surges-ahead-with-carrier-tb-3-strike-drones)
## References
1. [Anadolu L400, Navantia](https://www.navantia.es/en/product/l400-anadolu/)
2. [TCG Anadolu Donanmanın Hizmetine Giriyor!, Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB)](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/haber/tcg-anadolu-donanmanin-hizmetine-giriyor-WoWDsK)
3. [Defence Turkey issue on TCG Anadolu UCAV carrier conversion](https://defenceturkey.com/files/issues/6478541c9efde.pdf)
4. [Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD) Project, SSB](https://www.ssb.gov.tr/en/project/multi-purpose-amphibious-assault-ship-lhd-project)
5. [L400, Duratek](https://www.duratek.com.tr/en/l400)
6. [Turkey's Future Drone Carriers, War on the Rocks](https://warontherocks.com/turkeys-future-drone-carriers/)
7. [TCG Anadolu is the First UCAV Carrier in the World, Directorate of Communications](https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/english/haberler/detay/tcg-anadolu-is-the-first-ucav-carrier-in-the-world)
8. [Unmanned solutions for LHD TCG Anadolu can't fill the F-35B gap, Turkish Minute](https://www.turkishminute.com/2021/08/20/lhd-tcg-anadolu-cant-fill-f-35b-gap/amp/)
9. [President Erdoğan Unveils TCG Anadolu, The World's First UCAV Carrier, Investment Office of Türkiye](https://f.invest.gov.tr/en/news/news-from-turkey/pages/president-erdogan-unveils-tcg-anadolu-the-worlds-first-ucav-carrier.aspx)
10. [Bayraktar TB3 Takes off and land aboard Turkish carrier, Naval News](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/11/bayraktar-tb3-takesoff-and-land-aboard-turkish-carrier/)
11. [Turkish Navy demonstrates combat readiness in 'Denizkurdu-II 2025', Janes](https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/sea/turkish-navy-demonstrates-combat-readiness-in-denizkurdu-ii-2025)
12. [Bull's Eye from Bayraktar TB3 at SEAWOLF Exercise, Baykar](https://www.baykartech.com/en/press/bulls-eye-from-bayraktar-tb3-at-seawolf-exercise/)
13. [Turkish Navy Showcases Naval Power in NATO Exercise Steadfast Dart 2026, The Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications](https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/ENGLISH/dis_basinda_turkiye/detay/turkish-navy-successfully-carries-out-inaugural-live-fire-test-of-carrier-based-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-global-economic)
14. [IKV Monthly Bulletin, November 2025](https://www.ikv.org.tr/images/files/ikv_monthly_126_november.pdf)
15. [TCG Anadolu: A Case Study in Drone-Centric Naval Power, Finabel Info Flash](https://finabel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IF-Nicola-Bonsegna-March-2025.pdf)
16. [Italian Navy Surges Ahead with Carrier TB-3 Strike Drones, The Maritime Executive](https://maritime-executive.com/article/italian-navy-surges-ahead-with-carrier-tb-3-strike-drones)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Water transport › Warships and naval vessels › Amphibious and landing ships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license