The Turkish government announced it signed a nearly $ 1 billion deal with a local shipyard to produce the country’s first Landing Platform Dock (LPD).
The planned amphibious assault vessel will carry a battalion-sized unit of 1,200 troops and personnel, eight utility helicopters, three unmanned aerial vehicles and transport 150 vehicles, including battle tanks. It also will have an aircraft platform for vertical take off and landing. A ski jump at the front of the deck can be used to launch fighter aircraft.
Industry sources estimate the cost of the contract at close to $1 billion.
SSM said the 231-meter-long vessel will be completed by 2021. The LPD will deploy on the Aegean, the Black, and the Mediterranean seas, as well as on Turkish Navy’s operations on the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Turkey will be the third operator in the world of this ship type after Spain and Australia.
The $1 billion deal to cooperate with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to build a Juan Carlos I-class light aircraft carrier. Here’s what we know about it.
Stretching 758 feet in length, and weighing 26,000 tons, the Juan Carlos is the largest naval warship ever built in Spain. Once Turkey gets its copy, it will outweigh the next-largest Turkish warship by a whopping seven times.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.