Turkey, Spain Plan to Jointly Build Aircraft Carrier

Turkey plans to build a 300-meter aircraft carrier in partnership with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia, according to Turkish defense officials.

The announcement was reported by Infodefensa, citing comments from Haluk Görgün, head of Turkey’s Defense Industry Agency, in an interview with the pro-government Daily Sabah.

Although initial reports of a joint Turkish-Spanish carrier project date back nearly four years, it was believed the cooperation had been suspended in 2024.

The original plan called for a 285-meter-long vessel with a displacement of 65,000 tons.

However, Görgün said the revised design would extend the ship’s length to 300 meters.

That would make it significantly larger than France’s 261-meter Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which displaces around 42,000 tons, and even slightly longer than the 280-meter Queen Elizabeth-class carriers of the British Navy, which also displace around 65,000 tons.

If built, the future Turkish carrier would approach the size of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest of the class, is 337 meters long and has a displacement of 75,000 tons.

In late June, Navantia also began a preliminary feasibility study for what would be the first modern full-scale aircraft carrier in Spanish naval history.