Turkish shipbuilder Sedef has held a keel-laying ceremony for the Turkish Navy amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu at its shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul.
Once commissioned, the landing helicopter dock will be the first of its kind in the Turkish Navy.
It is designed by Navantia and based on the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos I and Australian Canberra-class landing helicopter docks.
While Navantia built both Australian ships in Spain and transferred them to Australia once they were launched, the Turkish LHD will be built in Turkey under a transfer of technology agreement.
The contract for future TCG Anadolu (L-408) was signed between the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries and Navantia in 2015.
Apart from the design, Navantia is to deliver 5 sets of diesel generators and the IPMS (Integrated Platform Management System) which will be developed at its facilities in Cartagena.
Anadolu will be registered as a light aircraft carrier by the Turkish Lloyd and is scheduled to be delivered to the navy in 2021.
With a displacement of 28,000 tonnes at full load and a length of 225 meters, the ship will be capable of reaching speeds of up to 21 knots.