A Drone Carrier: The Flagship!
That was a 1966 musical, based on the comic book character Superman. It was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but became Broadway’s biggest flop of the time. That is an American fiasco for you! On the other hand, here, there is an out of this world Turkish success story. It is about a drone carrier: The flagship of the Turkish navy in transition soon to dominate seas and oceans.
The Flagship of the Turkish Navy: TCG Anadolu
TCG Anadolu (L-400) is an amphibious assault ship that can be configured as a light aircraft carrier. It will be be the first “drone carrier” in the world. It will have untold number of drones specially built for the purpose. Each will be more than a ton heavy, with ability to take off and land back like aircrafts.
The drones will be loaded with numerous and variety of sophisticated guided missiles. Unlike aircrafts, they will be able to stay in the air for longer than a day. Their precision bombings will be waiting for their prays on land, sea and air. They will give ample time for this assault ship to disembark twenty nine main battle tanks.
TCG Anadolu will be the beginning of the Turkish navy dominating seas and making waves in the oceans. It will display rapidly and formidably growing power of New Turkey. It will also mark the end of an era when the Western navies reigned since the 18th century.
A Monster Drone Carrier: A By Product of the USA
TCG Anadolu, l aunched in April 2019, with 22 ft drought and 21 knots speed, is an indigenous Turkish warship. It was supposed to have six, American made, F-35s and helicopters. When the US Congress imposed CAATSA 231 sanctions against Turkey in 2020, it was reconfigured for drones. TCG Anadolu may still have Hurjets, indigenously Turkish made, light attack fighters.
By the end of the decade, they are sure to be replaced with vertical landing capable fifth generation TFXs. They will be ten years ahead of F-35s that went caput when Turkey is sanctioned with embargo. The US, meanwhile, will be huffing and puffing with the fourth generation, F-15 Eagles, F-18 Hornets and F-14 Tomcats.
All the while, TCG Anadolu will be dominating the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Will it venture to the Western end of the Mediterranean Sea? Surely, its sister ship TCG Trakya will not be late to tag along within few years. Together, they will pose an insurmountable challenge to everyone in the region.
Let us not forget coming of the Turkish supersonic drones within two years. They will be armed with the Turkish made sidewinders and SOM-J cruise missiles. 40 miles and 500 miles in range by then, respectively, these missiles are better and cheaper than Western versions already.
A monster drone carrier: The flagship, like no other in the world, with all the bells and the whistles, will simply end an era. Surely, it is a by product of Americans in Wash DC that did not know what they were doing. Will these Americans be putting an end to the legacy of the US Sixth Fleet as well? Time will tell but the future does not look promising in the hands of this ineptitude.
A Drone Carrier Task Force Out of this World
What is worse? A drone carrier task force lurking in the Eastern or Western Mediterranean Sea? Better yet, what if, it is making port calls in the Suakin Island in Sudan and in Somalia, crisscrossing Red Sea? What about two of them while one is in one sea, while the other in the other?
This is not a possibility. This is, a way lot more than, a probability. Actually, it is, already, a half way reality. When TCG Trakya will soon join the party, their together impact will have no match. Coupled with Turkish produced Atmaca and Gezgin cruise missiles or laser and electromagnetic guns, they will have a fire power like no other.
Plus, there will be the Turkish Atak 929s on board. They will be four tons heavier and deadlier than AH-64 Apache helicopters. Next to the fifth generation jets and supersonic drones, they are sure to cause havoc. Considering Turkey builds everything indigenously, platforms like warships are tailor made. Ada class corvettes, I class frigates, Reis class submarines and TM-2000 class destroyers, they all come fully loaded.
No Chinese, Russian, or the Western navy can come close in comparison next to this Turkish build up. Six submarines that can stay under water for three weeks are insurmountable in a closed sea. Seven destroyers, each capable to enforce no flight zone to a Texas size area will surely allow the Flagship and its sister to lark in the park.
A Drone Carrier: To Serve or Not To Serve the Interest of the USA
A drone carrier: The flagship of the Turkish navy in a decade can help establish a balance of power. Together with its sister ship Trakya, it can easily and effectively dominate the entire Mediterranean Sea. Western Europe and Russia will neither be able to challenge them nor will they want to.
Germany and Russia would prefer to have a balance of power established together with New Turkey. Germany will sustain great economic growth, dominating the old continent in the absence of the UK. Russia will gain time to recover for a decade and then grow economically and militarily. New Turkey, meanwhile, will consolidate its power in the region.
Dominating Mediterranean Sea will also mean peace in the Middle East. Iran will not be a menace, Israel will exist, and Arab states will come around and welcome modernity. Maghreb states in North Africa will enjoy the best of everything at the cross road of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Yet, the biggest beneficiary will be the USA. The GameChanger explains it best. So long as “the US work with Turkey, it will continue to reign as the only superpower in the world.” Otherwise, the harm to the US supremacy will not come from these drone carriers, the new marvels of the world. China and India will finish America off.
They will surely become the number one and two economies in the world, pushing the USA to the third spot. That is how simple this arithmetic is so long as someone understands how to add up everything listed here!
Originally published at https://erdoganandtrump.com on May 14, 2021.
