According to foreign media reports, in early January, the Ministry of Defense of Türkiye announced at the first press conference in 2025 that the construction of domestic aircraft carriers, domestic submarines and TF-2000 destroyers would be officially launched. Türkiye's Defense Minister Yashar Guler said that the construction of the three main ships is a key node in the modernization of Türkiye's navy. After these ships are put into service, they will improve the defense capability and operational efficiency of Türkiye's navy. Among the three types of main ships that Türkiye has begun to build in the era of "double aircraft carriers", the new aircraft carrier that has recently held the steel plate cutting ceremony in Istanbul Naval Shipyard has attracted the most attention from the outside world. In October 2023, President Erdogan of Türkiye announced the new aircraft carrier construction plan to the outside world for the first time. In February 2024, the new aircraft carrier model was publicly displayed. According to the information released by Türkiye's navy, the new aircraft carrier is 285 meters long, 72 meters wide, 10.1 meters draft, with a displacement of about 60000 tons, a maximum speed of 25 knots, and a endurance of about 10000 nautical miles. It has a continuous combat capability of no supply for at least 60 days, and will be equipped with 400 to 500 sailors. The aircraft carrier can carry 50 manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, and will adopt a short ski jump takeoff and interception recovery system. The front will be equipped with a takeoff platform tilted at about 12 to 14 degrees. Self defense weapons include a 32 unit vertical launch system, 4 close range defense systems, and 6 remote-controlled weapon stations. The size of Türkiye's new aircraft carrier is similar to that of Britain's Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier, and its tonnage is more than twice that of the light aircraft carrier "Anadolu", the largest military ship in active service of the Turkish Navy. Although the new aircraft carrier is claimed to be made in Türkiye, it will be built in cooperation with Spain, just like the "Anadolu". After the completion of the aircraft carrier, Türkiye will become one of the few countries in the world with "double aircraft carriers". However, due to the deterioration of US Turkish relations, the US plan to deliver 20 F-35B vertical takeoff and landing carrier aircraft to Türkiye has experienced ups and downs. The Anadolu can currently only carry drones and helicopters, and its combat effectiveness is equivalent to that of an amphibious assault ship. Türkiye's new aircraft carrier carrier will have several alternative models: the unmanned carrier aircraft includes TB-3, "Anka" -3 and "Red Apple"; Some carrier based aircraft are tentatively scheduled to be converted into light attack aircraft using the "Herjet" jet trainer aircraft. Some critics believe that Türkiye is trying to develop its own ejection system. Once the technology is mature, the transitional ski jump deck currently used by the new aircraft carrier will be modified. The latest trend of naval construction Recently, Türkiye held the commencement ceremony of domestic submarines at the Gerjuk Naval Shipyard in the country. Türkiye officials said that this is the first time Türkiye has built its own conventional submarine, and the degree of technology localization will be "very high". All active submarines in the country (209 and 214 respectively) are purchased from Germany with a displacement of no more than 2000 tons. The domestic submarine project in Türkiye was launched in March 2012, and the conceptual design will be completed in 2024. It is planned to complete the construction, installation and testing in 2031, and all will be completed and put into service before 2035. The submarine is over 80 meters long and has a full load displacement of about 3000 tons (with a surface displacement of about 2700 tons). Its endurance, depth, and weapon carrying capacity will surpass those of submarines previously equipped by the Turkish Navy. The new boat will use the mature technology of the Reis class submarine (214TN type) built in cooperation with Germany, be equipped with the "air independent propulsion" (AIP) system to enhance the underwater endurance and stealth capability, be equipped with Türkiye's domestic "Akaya" heavy torpedo, "Atmaka" anti-ship cruise missile and "Traveler" cruise missile, and a new vertical launch system under development. Türkiye's TF-2000 destroyer also recently held a steel plate cutting ceremony in Istanbul Naval Shipyard. The TF-2000 destroyer project was launched in July 2017, and the design scheme has been modified many times. It is the third stage of the "three-step" plan for Türkiye's domestic surface ships, aiming to build an air defense destroyer with comprehensive command capability for the Turkish navy. According to the Ministry of National Defense of Türkiye, the construction of this destroyer is a key node in the history of Turkish military ship building. Türkiye has built more than 3000 tons of medium-sized frigates, but it has never been involved in this type of destroyer, and there is no destroyer in the active service sequence of the Turkish Navy. This destroyer will integrate all technical achievements developed by Türkiye in the field of naval equipment in the past 10 years. The TF-2000 destroyer has a captain of 149 meters, a width of 21.3 meters, a draft of 5.75 meters, and a displacement of approximately 8300 tons. It uses a diesel fuel alternating power system and has a maximum speed of over 26 knots. It can accommodate 180 to 210 crew members. The ship is equipped with a phased array radar that can track more than 2000 targets within 450 kilometers, 96 vertical launching units that can launch a variety of medium and long range ground to air missiles, and one Türkiye made 127 mm main gun, "Atmaka" anti-ship cruise missile, two 25 mm remote control weapon stations and one 35 mm near defense weapon system, which can perform air defense, anti-ship, land strike, detection, interception of ballistic missiles and other tasks. The Ministry of National Defense of Türkiye said that currently there are 31 warships under construction in major shipyards in Turkey, including new offshore patrol ships, landing ships, mine hunting ships and fast attack boats. Public opinion generally believes that at the beginning of the new year, Türkiye announced a major ship building plan, which means that Türkiye's navy will enter a period of rapid development, and its long-range force projection and strike capabilities will be improved accordingly. Under the influence of factors such as the increasingly tense and complex situation in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean region and the "uncertainty" of the US Turkish relations, Türkiye continued to accelerate its naval construction. According to reports, in addition to the commissioning of the "Anadolu" light aircraft carrier in 2023, the design and construction of light and medium frigates have also been completed. According to Türkiye's media, in the 1930s, Türkiye's navy is expected to form a battle group with aircraft carriers as the core, TF-2000 destroyers as air defense nodes, Istanbul class medium-sized frigates as the main company for anti submarine operations, and 214TN and domestic submarines as underwater operations. The government of Türkiye said that Türkiye should not only have a strong regional maritime force, but also become a key participant in global maritime security. Although Türkiye is one of the few countries in the Middle East with a good industrial base and the largest naval force in the Middle East, its industry has been concentrated in the fields of textile, mining, timber, paper making, building materials, etc. for a long time, and its limited industrial level has restricted the development of shipbuilding industry. Among them, power and weapon system are the most important weaknesses of Türkiye. For this reason, Türkiye has tried to use the "import+imitation" method to gradually reduce its dependence on foreign weapons, equipment and technology, and has built a series of Aida class, island class, Istanbul class and other ships, increasingly becoming a sea power that cannot be underestimated in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean region. However, given Türkiye's economic size and manufacturing base, the country will still face a situation where high-end technology is under the control of others as it starts to build several main ships at the same time. (New Society)