Navantia will provide support to Turkish aircraft carrier drone landing

On 8 April in Ankara, the Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia and the Turkish General Directorate of Naval Shipyard (TGM) signed a framework agreement to maintain and support the operation of the TCG aircraft carrier Anadol.

Navantia will ensure technical maintenance and support of TCG operations Anadol

Spanish Navantia will provide life cycle support for Turkish TCG drone carrier Anadol. The framework agreement was signed on 8 April at TGM headquarters in Ankara by Navantii's sales director for Europe and Turkey Alfonso Valeia González and TGM CEO Emre Dinçera.

The agreement includes maintenance and repair of TCG Anadol, on-site and remote technical support, updating documentation and training of crew and technical personnel. A flexible formula for cooperation was adopted, in which the Turkish side will be able to order specific services periodically or depending on current needs, in the form of requests for tenders. The objective is to maintain the full operational readiness of the ship's systems, equipment and equipment. The agreement was concluded for three years with the possibility of extending for another three.

Spanish design, Turkish construction

TCG Anadol was built in the Turkish SEDEF shipyard on the basis of the Navantii project, derived from the Spanish type Juan Carlos I. Construction contract was signed in 2015. On the Navantii side were engineering support and technology transfer as well as the supply of five power generating units from its engine factory and IPMS control system developed by Navantia Sistemas.

The new agreement forms part of a broader industrial cooperation between Spain and Turkey around this programme. The Communication also stresses that since 2023 a separate spare parts supply contract for TCG has been in force Anadolwhich strengthens the continuity of support for this unit.

From the user's perspective, such a cooperation model is practical. In the case of modern warships, the actual combat value of the unit is determined not only by its design parameters, but also by efficient technical facilities, access to documentation and the relationship with the supplier of key systems.

This stage edEXP it attracts less attention than the construction of a ship, although in daily service it can be equally important. It is in the area of technical maintenance that it is clear that the industrial partner remains part of the programme also after the flag has been raised. In this case, the answer seems unambiguous.