TCG Anadolu, the world’s first unmanned combat aerial vehicle (SİHA) vessel, was put to the service of the Turkish navy with a ceremony held in Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, İstanbul.
As it came into service, the multipurpose amphibious assault vessel that was started to be built in 2006, rose to the position of the flagship of the naval forces as the biggest military vessel of Türkiye.
The ceremony that was held with the participation of the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was also attended by the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mustafa Şentop, Vice President of Türkiye Fuat Oktay, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, Chief of General Staff General Yaşar Güler, Commander of the Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Communications Directors of the Presidency Fahrettin Altun, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın, President of Defense Industries İsmail Demir, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, İstanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya, General Deputy Chairman of AK Party Binali Yıldırım, Chairman of MHP Devlet Bahçeli, Chairman of Büyük Birlik Partisi Mustafa Destici, Chairman of Yeniden Refah Partisi Fatih Erbakan, Chairman of Demokratik Sol Parti Önder Aksakal, Chairman of Hür Dava Partisi Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, Chairman of Board and Technology Leader of Baykar Selçuk Bayraktar, Chairman of the Executive Board of Sedef Shipyard Metin Kalkavan.
‘’A First in the Inventory of the Naval Forces Command”
The program which was presented by Başak Şengül started with the national anthem, İstiklal Marşı. In his ceremonial speech, President of Defense Industries İsmail Demir said that TCG Anadolu as the biggest and the most comprehensive vessel of Türkiye is characterized as a first among the vessels that are included in the inventory of the Naval Forces Command.
Demir emphasized that by performing the welding ceremony of 3 MİLGEM-class frigates on the same day, a step is taken towards building and putting into service 3 more vessels within 36 months, and continued “We are always grateful for your persistence and support in making our defense industry travel such a long distance. For these projects we would like to express our sincere thanks to all stakeholders, particularly including our Ministry of National Defense, our Naval Forces, our Presidency of Defense Industry, our Sedef Shipyard, other shipyards and all other stakeholders. I would like to present my respect and support on behalf of the entire industry for the assistance provided by your highness during the process and with deep respect I wish our vessels bring goodness to our navy, our country and our nation.”
‘’TCG Anadolu is a Very Smart Work of Art
Metin Kalkavan, Chairman of the Board at Sedef Shipyard where TCG Anadolu has been built, stated that one of his dreams have come true, and added “At the control center where information from 40 thousand sensors flows in, it is possible to analyze the information anytime and find out what has been done, where and how. This is a modern and multipurpose aircraft carrier. A helicopter needs no ramp but we have a ramp here. This vessel has no rudder. The world’s biggest electrical double propeller also serves as the rudder and ensures superior maneuvering capability.
This vessel navigated for 60 days during the tests. This is Türkiye’s biggest military vessel. The flagship. In my country, the defense industry is divided into two periods of time, the period before you (President Erdoğan) and the period after you. You have unforgettable contributions in this respect. This vessel is 100 percent national. There is no vessel we cannot build as the ship building industry. As the international experts say, we are in the champions league now. Neither minutes, nor hours, nor days are enough to talk about this vessel. This is really not something everyone can do.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: ‘’We are Happy, We are Proud”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized that TCG Anadolu, which was built upon the instructions he had given in 2016, is 70% domestic. President Erdoğan said, “Following the period of 7 years that went by, we are now putting our TCG Anadolu vessel into service. We see TCG Anadolu as a symbol that we reinforce our position in the world in the Century of Türkiye. We are happy, we are proud. May God make this feeling of pride last forever.”
Following the speeches, Erdoğan and the accompanying committee took a walk around TCG Anadolu vessel. During the ceremony, the unmanned combat aerial vehicles of Bayraktar as well as the vertical take-off helicopters were displayed on the deck.
It is stated that the flight deck of the vessel can accommodate a total of 10 helicopters or 50 SİHA’s and this number can increase up to 100 by making some modifications.
Onboard, President Erdoğan said “Bayraktar TB3, SİHA, Kızıl Elma Unmanned Aerial Combat Vehicle and HÜRJET Light Combat Aircraft can land and take off”.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the ceremony for the delivery of the world’s first SİHA and Türkiye’s biggest combat vessel “TCG Anadolu” to the Naval Forces Command and the steel cutting ceremony for the three new MİLGEM frigates. The program was also participated by Chairman of MHP Devlet Bahçeli, Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mustafa Şentop, Chairman of Yeniden Refah Partisi Fatih Erbakan, Chairman of Büyük Birlik Partisi (BBP) Mustafa Destici, Chairman of DSP Önder Aksakal, Chairman of HÜDA PAR Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu.
It is stated that the biggest vessel of the Turkish Navy has the capacity of carrying 1400 military personnel.
