It was one of Erdoğanfgree's grandiose plans for dominance in the Aegean and as a main means of pressure against Greece for his revisionist plans for the so-called "Blue Homeland". The original prediction was an aircraft carrier that would host F-35s and impose its dominance over the entire Eastern Mediterranean and beyond.
But in the end, the whole plan landed on a - at best - helicopter carrier, which has now been announced as a platform for Turkish drones.
The 231-metre-long Turkish Drone Carrier TCG Anadolu was built to the standards - and the... structural problems - of the corresponding Spanish one and its construction began in 2016. The original plans was for F-35 vertical take-off, but the expulsion of Turkey from the American fighter program led it to more "grounded" solutions, such as helicopters and drones.
But the aircraft carrier, Anadolu, has design flaws and the difficulty it faces as a powerful platform in an enclosed sea like the Aegean clear.
The intentions of the Turks with Anadolu are to "pressure" Greece from the South and West, even from the Ionian Sea. But ships like the Anadolu need a strong support force both at sea and in the air as it is essentially an easy target for Greek submarines and fighter jets.
However, there is no shortage of reactions from within Turkey. In a recent interview, retired Admiral Türker Ertürk brought to the fore some of the truths that exist behind Anadolu.
As he says himself, this ship is not an aircraft carrier. He points out that " if a ship is a platform for flying vehicles, that does not make it an aircraft carrier."
And he continues: “The original budget was $650 million. Do you know how much an American aircraft carrier costs? 15 billion dollars. We cannot maintain such a ship. Anyway, we don't have overseas jobs or overseas countries. It's not right for us."
And then he asserts: "The twin ship, the Spanish "Juan Carlos" also has this same problem, in the propulsion system. If I were the captain of the fleet I would not receive it under any circumstances".
And he concludes: "As you know it was designed for the F-35. Now they tell us they will use it for drones. Know that even 50 drones do not make for an F-16″.
In any case, however, Anadolu, with all its problems, creates a completely new condition in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. Whether it will be able to work as the Turks predict is also in our hands, not so much in its air power as in its landing and cargo carrying capabilities.
However, it is by no means a game changer, especially now that the Turks have been left out of the F-35.
Elsewhere, the Hellenic Navy should turn its attention to Turkey, which is constantly developing in other areas (new anti-destroyer armour, unmanned surface vessels, modern missiles, even of domestic construction) and not so much to a heavy and problematic ship that many Turks have doubt for.
Τουρκέρ Έρτουρκ Ναύαρχος ε.α.
Το δίδυμο πλοίο έχει πρόβλημα
Το ίδιο πρόβλημα έχει και το δικό μας50 drones δεν κάνουν ούτε ένα F16 pic.twitter.com/QfSCAQ0h7d
— EᑎIᗩᑕ ® (@VasilisEniac) February 3, 2023
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