Rear Admiral Hakan Uçar, Commander of the Turkish Navy’s Naval Technical Command (formerly head of the Design Project Office), gave a detailed presentation on Türkiye’s indigenous aircraft carrier project known as MUGEM at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2026, held in Farnborough, UK, from 19 to 21 May. The presentation revealed updated specifications, new design details, and confirmed that the construction is already underway with a 2032 delivery target.
One of the key takeaways from the presentation was the project timeline. According to the slide shown by Rear Admiral Uçar, the development started in 2023 with CONOPS (Concept of Operations) development, feasibility studies, and analysis of alternatives. The project definition and concept design phase was followed by preliminary design, which is expected to transition into detailed design and contract design around 2026. Construction, tests and verification phases will follow, with the delivery planned for 2032.
This is a verifying update that in August 2025, Commander of the Istanbul Naval Shipyard Rear Admiral Erdinç Yetkin had told CNN Türk that the carrier could be launched around 2027-2028 and potentially delivered after 2030. The timeline presented at CNE 2026 suggests a delivery date of 2032, indicating that the project is maturing from preliminary to detailed design.
Updated Specifications
The presentation confirmed the main particulars of the ship: 285 meters in length, 72 meters maximum beam, 10.1 meters draft, and a displacement of 60,000 tons. Performance figures showed a maximum speed of 26+ knots, cruising speed of 14 knots, and a range of 10,000 nautical miles at 14 knots. The accommodation capacity was listed as a maximum of 2,500 personnel.
The maximum speed figure of 26+ knots is a slight change from the 25+ knots figure that was presented previously.
More interesting is the accommodation number: 2,500 personnel is much higher than the 800 crew figure that was mentioned earlier. This likely reflects the total accommodation capacity including the air wing personnel, staff, and other embarked forces, not just the ship’s company.
According to the updated slides, the carrier will operate 52 aircraft — up from the 50 that were previously disclosed. The air wing will consist of four types of indigenous air vehicles: the Hürjet (naval variant), the Kızılelma unmanned combat aircraft, the Anka-3 flying wing UCAV, and the TB-3 UCAV. The take-off and landing method is STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery), using a ski jump ramp with a 12-degree angle.
The flight deck design showed three runways and a landing strip. The presentation specifically noted that the deck is “compatible with indigenous aircraft.” This aligns with the ongoing work on a naval variant of the Hürjet, which was reported earlier this month.
Engineered for Multi-domain Carrier Concept
A new and interesting detail from the CNE presentation was the “Multi-Domain Carrier” concept. The slides showed that MUGEM will not only operate air vehicles but will also have capabilities for USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle) deployment and handling, as well as UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) deployment and handling. Render images showed dedicated launch and recovery areas for these unmanned systems on the ship.
This positions MUGEM beyond a traditional aircraft carrier, adding surface and subsurface unmanned vehicle operation capabilities to the air domain. The command and control section of the presentation reinforced this, stating that the ship will have the “ability to operate in 3 domains” with manned and unmanned vehicle network centric control. The combat management system will be the indigenous ADVENT system.
Rear Admiral Uçar showed several slides detailing the engineering work being conducted for MUGEM. Towing tank experiments have been performed to optimize the hull form, with both experimental and numerical (CFD) analysis of the bow wave signature at 26 knots. The goal was described as optimizing the hull “so as not to splash the deck, affect seakeeping, and create additional resistance.”
Propeller design is being done in-house by the Design Project Office. The slides showed a parametric propeller design process going through physical model manufacturing, towing tank testing, and numerical analysis. The design target is a silent propeller with efficiency of 70% or higher.
Air wake analysis and flight envelope studies are also ongoing, in cooperation with ODTÜ (Middle East Technical University). Wind tunnel experiments have been conducted alongside DPO simulations, comparing experimental and numerical results.
The seakeeping analysis showed that the carrier is designed for unrestricted flight operations up to Sea State 6 conditions.
Sensors and Combat Systems
The mast design slide revealed the full sensor suite, all described as indigenous. These include multi-functional radar (ÇAFRAD), long-range radar (ÇAFRAD), X-Band, Ku-Band, and Ka-Band satellite communication systems, IFF antenna, HF antenna, LPI radar, electronic support and electronic attack systems, infrared tracking system, laser electronic attack system, and an electro-optic director.
For self-defense, the combat systems layout showed two 16-cell VLS modules (MİDLAS), three CIWS (likely Gökdeniz), four RCWS (likely 25mm STOP systems), and two PDMS (Point Defence Missile Systems). The presentation emphasized that all combat systems will be of national origin, under the label “National Combat Power.”
Logistics and Medical Facilities
The carrier will have Role 2 Enhanced (R2E) medical facility capabilities. This includes two surgery rooms, two dental clinics, a dental surgery room, triage areas, an intensive care unit, burn treatment unit, radiology units, isolation room, 30 bed wards, a medical laboratory, and a pharmacy. For a surface combatant, this is a significant medical capability, essentially a small hospital at sea.
The logistics capabilities slide showed that the ship will have a stern ramp and a starboard ramp for vehicle and equipment loading.
Construction of MUGEM is in progress
The final slide of the MUGEM project presentation was particularly important: it showed actual construction photographs with the caption “Construction is in progress.” The photos showed steel blocks being assembled at what appears to be the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, confirming that physical construction work is ongoing.
