Türkiye's National Aircraft Carrier (MUGEM) project is taking shape as one of the most ambitious Turkish defense industry projects of the past quarter century. Construction began in January 2025, with steel hull blocks now being assembled. The carrier is scheduled to take to the sea in September 2027 and enter service with the Turkish Naval Forces in 2032, when it is expected to become the largest platform ever operated by the force.

Designed to accommodate a crew and military force of approximately 2,500 personnel, MUGEM will be protected by a massive naval task force consisting of different types of warships. The Turkish aircraft carrier will be escorted by domestically developed destroyers, frigates and submarines, as well as air-defense platforms. The carrier is expected to accommodate nearly 50 aircraft of different types. Accompanied by logistics vessels, MUGEM is being designed as the largest warship in the Mediterranean.

The carrier will operate unmanned aerial vehicles, air-defense systems, command-and-control platforms and other domestically developed defense systems. Rather than being limited to enclosed or regional seas, MUGEM is intended to provide continuous logistical and operational support for Turkish military assets across the oceans, potentially enabling operations over distances extending from Istanbul to New York. MUGEM will increase the Turkish military’s ability to conduct faster and more sustained international operations.

The project is also part of a broader naval modernization effort, with more than 60 warships currently under construction in Turkish military shipyards. This process could potentially place the Turkish Naval Forces among the world’s top five most capable naval forces.

As part of Türkiye’s "Blue Homeland” doctrine, the Turkish aircraft carrier will be the largest warship constructed by Türkiye after the TCG Anadolu. Its completion would represent a major milestone in Türkiye’s ambition to expand its blue-water naval capabilities and strengthen its ability to project military power beyond its surrounding seas.

A global comparison

With a length of 285 meters (935 feet), a beam of 72 meters (236 feet), a maximum speed of 25 knots and a range of 10,000 nautical miles, MUGEM is being designed as a STOBAR-type aircraft carrier. This places it in a category currently represented in the fleets of Russia, China and India.

The STOBAR-type aircraft carrier built during the Soviet era and currently serving in the Russian Navy is among the largest aircraft carriers in Western Asia. Similarly, STOBAR-type aircraft carriers built for the Indian Navy continue to undergo testing and trials.

The Chinese Navy also operates aircraft carriers of a similar configuration, including a carrier designed to launch J-15 fighter aircraft. China has also been developing plans to operate more advanced aircraft systems, including the J-31 and J-20, from its future carrier platforms. One of China’s carriers of this class entered service with the Chinese Navy in 2019.

As the largest warship in the Mediterranean, MUGEM could surpass France’s Charles de Gaulle in terms of overall size and further elevate the Turkish Naval Forces among the world’s leading maritime powers.

The ability to design, build and equip next-generation aircraft carriers is currently limited to a small number of countries, including the U.S., Russia, China, India, Italy, the U.K., South Korea, Spain, Japan and France. For Türkiye, the development of such a platform represents a global-scale initiative.

The most significant aspect of this initiative is that, following half a century of investment, the Turkish defense industry has reached a level of technological and industrial capacity capable of producing an aircraft carrier. Today, with 1,468 projects worth more than $100 billion underway and defense exports reaching approximately $15 billion, the Turkish defense industry is regarded as one of the world’s 10 largest defense industries. Equipping the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) with indigenous technologies and capabilities gives Türkiye the opportunity to defend and advance its national interests on a global scale. Turkish defense industry products, which have helped usher in a new era in unmanned aerial systems worldwide, are now taking similar steps forward in the field of naval warfare. In particular, the vision and industrial capacity demonstrated through MUGEM could transform the Turkish Naval Forces into a large-scale maritime force capable of conducting military operations across a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles.

Rising Türkiye brand

Compared with countries such as Argentina, Canada and the Netherlands, which operated aircraft carriers in their navies in previous periods, Türkiye’s vision extends over a much longer time horizon and incorporates an ecosystem designed to contribute to the continued development of the Turkish defense industry.

A similar period of development was experienced during the construction of the helicopter carrier, with the TCG Anadolu attracting significant attention on the global stage. The Turkish aircraft carrier MUGEM, which is expected to be launched under the name TCG Trakya, is poised to generate a similar impact while potentially attracting even greater international attention. Other warships currently under construction in Turkish military shipyards likewise demonstrate Türkiye’s emergence as a country capable of designing and producing some of the world’s most advanced and largest naval platforms.

These developments, which are strategically important for strengthening the Turkish Navy both numerically and technologically, are continuing under the leadership of national defense companies such as Aselsan, STM, Havelsan and Roketsan.

Today, there are seven aircraft carriers under construction worldwide that can be considered comparable to MUGEM in terms of their capabilities and scale. As the earliest of these carriers expected to be launched, MUGEM will represent a major leap forward not only for the Turkish Navy but also for Türkiye’s industrial base and shipbuilding capabilities.

Among the aircraft carriers currently under construction in the U.S., Russia and China, the earliest are expected to enter service with their respective navies in the early 2030s, while testing and sea trials are expected to continue throughout the development process. MUGEM’s entry into the global group of 24 operational aircraft carriers would make Türkiye the ninth country in the world to operate such a platform.

During peacetime, this could also make a significant contribution to the international image and reputation of the "Made in Türkiye” brand. A Turkish industrial base capable of constructing some of the world’s largest commercial, private and military vessels could also develop a wide range of advanced technologies and gain a competitive advantage in global markets through sustained R&D activities.

As a result, the MUGEM project should not be viewed merely as an effort to build a warship. It also prioritizes research and development, technological innovation and industrial capabilities that could generate spillover effects across different sectors of the Turkish economy and create new opportunities for a broader range of industrial initiatives.