ISTANBUL, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye on Monday commissioned its largest ship, TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault vessel of the Turkish Navy that can be configured as a landing helicopter dock (LHD) and a drone carrier.
Thanks to the multi-purpose ship, Türkiye will become the "leader" of game-changing technologies in defense industries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the delivery ceremony of the vessel in Istanbul.
With a length of 231 meters and a width of 32 meters, TCG Anadolu is now the largest vessel in the Turkish Navy. The vessel has a maximum displacement of 27,436 tons and a maximum speed of 20.5 knots, and can travel 9,000 nautical miles. Its deck can hold 11 unmanned combat aerial vehicles(UCAVs) or 10 helicopters, while its hangar can hold 30 UCAVs or 19 helicopters.
"Thanks to TCG Anadolu, we will become a country that is pioneering one of the first in the world, game-changing technologies, systems and solutions," Erdogan said at the ceremony, adding that the vessel is the world's first warship in its field where the largest and heaviest helicopters and unmanned combat aerial vehicles(UCAVs) can land and take off.
"Also, thanks to the tanks and armored amphibious assault vehicles it carries, this ship has the features that will enable us to conduct military and humanitarian operations in every corner of the world, when necessary," Erdogan said.
He emphasized that 70 percent of the components of the TCG Anadolu were made in Türkiye.
Türkiye launched its multi-purpose amphibious assault ship project in 2015, after its Defence Industry Agency signed an agreement with Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. A total of 131 subcontractor companies participated in the building of the TCG Anadolu. ■
