Erdemir, a subsidiary of Turkey’s OYAK Group, is supplying steel for the National Aircraft Carrier Project (MUGEM), which is planned to become the largest vessel in the Turkish Navy’s inventory.
According to a company statement, Erdemir—Turkey’s flat steel producer with 61 years of experience—continues to contribute to defense industry projects through its expertise in heavy plate production.
Under the MUGEM program, Erdemir is responsible for manufacturing approximately 40,000 tons of shipbuilding steel plates. As part of project preparations, supply agreements were signed with Sedef and Sefine shipyards, and the first batch of plates was delivered to the manufacturers at the end of January.
The steel to be used in the construction of MUGEM is produced at Erdemir’s plate rolling mill. Using iron ore directly as its primary raw material, the company designs quality into the production process from the outset, maintaining strict control over every stage—from chemical composition to mechanical performance.
High Toughness and Strength
The steel products manufactured for the project stand out for their high toughness and strength, as well as their weldability and formability, the company said.
The statement also cited technical details of the MUGEM project based on data from Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense.
Accordingly, the MUGEM-class aircraft carrier is planned to measure 285 meters in length, 72 meters in width, with a draft of 10.1 meters and a displacement exceeding 60,000 tons. The vessel is expected to have a crew capacity of approximately 800 personnel and to be larger than the Turkish Navy’s current largest warship, the TCG Anadolu (L-400) amphibious assault ship.
Upon completion, the project aims to make Turkey the fifth country capable of independently designing and building large aircraft carriers with a displacement of 60,000 tons or more.
Once completed, MUGEM is expected to become the largest ship in the Turkish Navy’s fleet and is regarded as a strategic investment to strengthen Turkey’s defense capabilities.
Source: Anadolu Ajansı/ Prepared by: İlayda Gök