Exclusive: Türkiye enters elite group of countries able to build aircraft carrier with MUGEM-class.

Türkiye has officially entered the elite league of nations capable of designing and constructing a fully indigenous aircraft carrier with the start of the MUGEM-class program at Istanbul Naval Shipyard in early 2025. The MUGEM-class represents a major leap in Türkiye’s naval defense ambitions, showcasing the maturity of its domestic shipbuilding and aerospace industries. Developed entirely through local engineering, manufacturing, and systems integration, the project places Türkiye on par with traditional naval powers such as the United States, China, and France, who each rely on large, complex industrial ecosystems to support their carrier construction programs.
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Scale model of Türkiye's MUGEM-class aircraft carrier displayed at defense exhibition showcases the future flagship of the Turkish Navy with fully indigenous design and aviation capabilities. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The Turkish MUGEM-class aircraft carrier will be the largest warship ever built in Türkiye, with a projected displacement of 60,000 tons and a length of 285 meters. Built under the framework of the MILGEM national warship program, MUGEM adopts a STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration. Its flight deck will incorporate 12-degree modular ski-jump ramps and an indigenous arrestor system, supporting a diverse air wing of manned and unmanned platforms. The air component will include the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV, Kızılelma jet-powered stealth drone, the HÜRJET light fighter, and potentially a navalized version of the TF-Kaan fifth-generation stealth aircraft. With capacity for thirty aircraft in its internal hangar and an additional twenty on deck, MUGEM is engineered as a hybrid carrier capable of sustained air operations in contested maritime zones.

The propulsion system will rely on a domestically developed COGAG (Combined Gas and Gas) configuration, enabling speeds above 25 knots and an operational range exceeding 10,000 nautical miles. Türkiye’s leading defense contractors including HAVELSAN, ASELSAN, and STM are responsible for the development and integration of MUGEM’s combat management system, electronic warfare suite, radar architecture, navigation, and command-and-control infrastructure. Unlike the traditional multi-national approaches to carrier construction, MUGEM is being built in a single national shipyard, demonstrating the industrial efficiency and capability of Türkiye’s vertically integrated defense ecosystem.

In comparison, the United States Navy remains the benchmark for carrier warfare with its Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered supercarriers. The latest vessel in the class, USS Enterprise (CVN-80), is under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding and expected to join the fleet by 2028. These carriers feature advanced EMALS (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems), AAG (Advanced Arresting Gear), and the latest AN/SPY-6 radar suites. Displacing over 100,000 tons, each Ford-class carrier supports more than 75 aircraft including F-35C stealth fighters, E-2D Hawkeyes, and a full complement of electronic warfare and strike aircraft. The U.S. carrier model reflects over a century of sustained development supported by the world’s most mature naval industrial base.

China, quickly rising as a formidable maritime power, has accelerated its naval aviation programs through the Type 003 Fujian-class carrier, launched in 2022 at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. With a displacement exceeding 80,000 tons and equipped with electromagnetic catapults similar to those used on U.S. carriers, Fujian marks China’s transition into high-tempo fixed-wing carrier operations. The ship is undergoing sea trials and is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. In parallel, China is advancing plans for a fourth carrier possibly nuclear-powered while expanding its shipyard infrastructure and aircraft development to support future carrier strike groups capable of global deployment.

France, a long-standing European naval power, is pursuing its next-generation carrier project, PANG (Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération), to replace the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle by the late 2030s. Built by Naval Group, the PANG will displace approximately 75,000 tons, be equipped with EMALS catapults, and launch future aircraft developed under the trinational FCAS (Future Combat Air System) program. Powered by two K22 nuclear reactors developed by TechnicAtome, the PANG reflects France’s emphasis on autonomous expeditionary capabilities and its commitment to maintaining a nuclear-powered blue-water navy with full strategic independence.

In contrast to these superpowers, Türkiye is achieving comparable technical sophistication within a streamlined national model. MUGEM’s full design, construction, and integration process is occurring entirely within Turkish borders, an unprecedented achievement in such a short development cycle. The project draws upon the experience gained from earlier indigenous platforms such as the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship, the Ada-class corvettes, and the I-class frigates. The inclusion of TF-2000 destroyers and the MILDEN-class submarines under the same national strategy reflects Türkiye’s broader goal to assemble a complete, indigenously built carrier strike group.

Strategically, the MUGEM-class serves Türkiye’s long-term maritime doctrine based on the "Blue Homeland" (Mavi Vatan) concept, extending the country’s naval reach across the Eastern Mediterranean, Aegean Sea, Black Sea, and deep into the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. This aircraft carrier is not only a projection of airpower at sea but a command-and-control hub that integrates unmanned technologies, electronic warfare, and next-generation naval aviation into a unified system. It will also provide a mobile base for rapid response operations, humanitarian missions, and multinational deployments completely free from foreign dependency.

More than a ship, MUGEM symbolizes the culmination of Türkiye’s transformation into a fully independent defense producer. With regional and global dynamics increasingly shaped by maritime superiority, the introduction of the MUGEM-class aircraft carrier positions Türkiye as a decisive actor capable of influencing the future of naval power projection well beyond its borders. This development will not only redefine Türkiye’s naval strategy but also send a clear message to allies and competitors alike. Türkiye has arrived as a carrier-capable maritime power with global ambitions, full industrial autonomy, and a shipbuilding model that is both innovative and strategically sustainable.