The Turkish Ministry of National Defense has decided to create a floating carrier of attack drones. The aircraft carrier is supposed to be made on the basis of the Anadolu universal amphibious assault ship (UDC), Defense News reports.
According to the report, the Anadolu UDC was laid down in February 2018. In April 2019, it was launched. The ship is similar to the Mistral-class helicopter carriers. With a displacement of 27.1 thousand tons, it is capable of carrying an air group of 14 attack and multipurpose helicopters and two attack drones.
Previously, the Turkish military intended to use American F-35s from its side, which in the ship version have the ability to land and take off from a short run. However, after the exclusion of Ankara from the F-35 program, the Turkish military began to think about re-equipping the ship and forming an air group consisting of attack drones.
Now, instead of fighters, the UDC will use Bayraktar TB3 drones. These UAVs differ from their predecessors, which became famous in Karabakh, by a more reliable chassis, as well as an increased length. The Anadolu deck, according to experts, can accommodate up to 50 unmanned aerial vehicles, the Russian edition of Discover24 writes.