The most important event of the International Defense Industry Fair, organized in Istanbul May 5-8, was the signing of an agreement between Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industry (SSM) with Turkish Sedef and Spanish Navantia for construction of a $1.2 billion landing platform dock (LPD) that has emerged as the prestige project of the Turkish navy.
This project has become the most expensive defense project to be attempted in Turkey.
The LPD is planned to be delivered to the Turkish navy in 2021. Mujdat Uludag, the director of the Naval Vessels Department of the SSM, said, "Our naval command will deploy the LPD that will be constructed in Turkey in operational areas of the Aegean, Black Sea and Mediterranean and when necessary in the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic.”
This ship is designed to accommodate 1,450 persons and could sail for 50 days without resupply at 22-knot speed. The LPD, when needed, will be used for natural disaster relief with its fully equipped 34-bed hospital. The LPD, which will displace 27,436 tons fully laden with a length of 231 meters (757 feet), is the biggest naval platform of the Turkish navy. At the request of the navy command, a ski jump will installed on the LPD. This will enable Turkey to acquire 15 F-35B (short takeoff, vertical landing) aircraft as part of 100 F-35s it plans to purchase.
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