TCG Anadolu Displays Amphibious and Air Operation Capabilities at EFES-2026
TCG Anadolu, the amphibious assault ship of the Turkish Naval Forces, stood out at the EFES-2026 exercise with its amphibious operations and air operations capabilities. The ship once again demonstrated in the field its capacity both to support landing operations and to host unmanned aerial systems on missions flown from the sea.
Core figures
TCG Anadolu has a displacement of 27,436 tons and a length of 231 metres. Its maximum speed is stated as around 21 knots, its cruising range as 9,000 nautical miles and its complement as 1,223 personnel. This scale positions the ship not only as a landing operations platform but also as a base suited to sustained open-sea missions.
Domestic system content
The ship carries the ASELSAN-built PİRİ infrared search and detection system and the AHTAPOT electro-optical search system. For close-in defence it uses ASELSAN’s STOP remote-controlled 25 mm weapon stations, and for underwater security ARMELSAN’s ARAS-2023 diver detection sonar. By contrast, the ship’s 3D search radar is the Thales Smart-S Mk2, its precision approach radar the Leonardo SPN-720, and its two close-in weapon systems are Phalanx Block 1B — all of foreign origin. Main power comes from five MAN diesel generators, with propulsion provided by Siemens POD units.
Unmanned aircraft carrier role
The ship’s most distinctive capability is operating unmanned aerial vehicles from its deck. Bayraktar TB3 can fly missions from the ship’s ramp in autonomous, AI-assisted mode. The first trials took place off Aksaz on 19 November 2024, with four landings and take-offs completed during a 46-minute flight. During NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise, TB3 completed the take-off, strike and recovery cycle in the Baltic Sea under snow and minus 5 degrees, using ROKETSAN MAM-L munitions. This is described as the first full mission cycle performed by a ship-based unmanned aerial vehicle in a NATO exercise.
The EFES-2026 context
Ships of different classes and land elements were tested in coordinated scenarios during the exercise. TCG Anadolu’s multi-purpose configuration provides the flexibility to combine force projection, humanitarian assistance and air operations on a single platform in regional crisis scenarios.
Assessment
TCG Anadolu stands out as one of a limited number of platforms operating unmanned aerial vehicles from the sea. On the other hand, the ship’s fixed-wing combat aircraft scenario is not currently on the agenda, as the F-35B procurement did not materialise. External dependency also persists in critical systems such as radar and close-in defence. The ship’s capability is therefore assessed together with the maturity of the systems operated from it, rather than by its scale alone.
