TCG Anadolu Warship Is The World'S First Drone Carrier

The roar of these Turkish F-16 jets flying over the Istanbul Strait kicked off the inaugural voyage of Turkey's largest and most powerful warship, the TCG Anadolu. It's a drone carrier and an amphibious assault ship, and the pride of Turkey's quickly expanding navy, where air power meets naval power. Built in the Turkish set of shipyard with technology transfer from a Spanish consortium, the Anadolu can carry a diverse set of attack helicopters and combat drones. Watching from the shores of the Dolmabahce Presidential Palace, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the Minister of Defense Halusi Akar and military command on board the ship and hinted that even more ambitious naval production plans were in store. The biggest dream in my heart was the TCG Anadolu, but now I would like to build the second step of this. And in order to do this, I have had meetings with the Spanish and the British sides on these issues. And as a result of these meetings, we received very, very positive answers from both sides. Turkey's newest generation of combat drones, the jet-powered Kizil Elma, will soon take off and land on the Anadolu, boosting the Turkish navy's ability to quickly project power in difficult environments. For a country to transition from being a regional power to global power, usually in international relations, we use three measurements. The first, a capability conducting at least two different points of the globe. So this can be conducted only if you have an aircraft carrier or such kind of a unique warship which has the capability to carry both the armored vehicles and also air vehicles at the same time. An extra, a unique one which will carry UAVs. After the Black Sea, the TCG Anadolu will sail to the Turkish port of Izmir and make its presence felt in the Aegean. Turkey's president later confirmed that discussions have already begun for an even larger warship. I hope that we will build an aircraft carrier twice the size of this one, so that our aircraft carriers will be present in a better, more powerful way in the blue seas. The localisation of Turkey's defence industry and its technological innovation when it comes to advanced military hardware means that Turkey will become less reliant on foreign suppliers. When it comes to the TCG Anadolu sailing to the Black Sea, it also means that Turkey will be able to project its geopolitical power well beyond its shores.