The MUGEM-class aircraft carrier is an initiative by the Turkish Navy to build a fully indigenous aircraft carrier. MUGEM is an Turkish acronym for Milli Uçak Gemisicode: tur promoted to code: tr , meaning "National Aircraft Carrier".[5][6] The construction of the first MUGEM-class aircraft carrier started on 2 January 2025.[1][2][3]
Development
Plans for constructing a large Turkish aircraft carrier were first announced in April 2023 by the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who held talks with companies from Spain and the United Kingdom on the issue.[7] Contrary to earlier assumptions and news reports by the media,[7] it was later revealed that the future aircraft carrier would not be a larger version of TCG Anadolu, but a completely new design.[4][5][1][3]
On 25 April 2024, new details were released when press was welcomed at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard.[4] A model of the ship was first shown at the 2024 SAHA EXPO, with further details being released, like propulsion, dimensions, and design elements.[4]
The construction of the first MUGEM-class aircraft carrier began on 2 January 2025.[1][2] The first MUGEM-class aircraft carrier is being built at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard.[1][2]
Flight deck
MUGEM is being designed in a STOBAR configuration with a modular ski-jump at the bow. The Turkish defence industry is also underway at developing an indigenous catapult system. With the ski-jump being modular by design, this can be removed and the ship could be reconfigured as a CATOBAR carrier.[4]
Aircraft
The ship is planned to carry several different types of aircraft, both manned and unmanned.[4]
^The type of displacement has not been explicitly revealed in the specifications, possibly due to the ongoing evaluation of the aircraft, unmanned combat aerial vehicles, and helicopters to be used, which will determine a more precise estimation for the full load displacement.
