Speaking to Doha News, analysts said there is no clear answer which country is part of the deal, but UAE and Saudi Arabia are likely to be front runners.
Turkey is reportedly in the final stages of talks with either Saudi Arabia, UAE, or Qatar for the sale of an amphibious assault ship, reported Forbes.
The light aircraft or drone carrier vessel follows Turkey’s new flagship, the TCG Anadolu (LHD-400), and Egypt’s Mistral-class ship as the third amphibious assault ship of its kind in the Middle East.
The President of the Turkish Defence Industry Agency (SSB) Dr. Haluk Gorgun, announced that “the export of a similar landing helicopter dock to one of the Gulf countries has reached the final stage.”
Speaking to Doha News, analysts said there is no clear answer which country is part of the deal, but UAE and Saudi Arabia are likely to be front runners.
“After the Al-Ula agreement, relations between Ankara, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh improved significantly,” says Dr. Ali Bakir, a senior fellow in the Atlantic Council, in a report.
“Money and ambitions-wise, the UAE has a great chance of acquiring one,” said Dr Bakir about the prospect of an Emirati investment. “However, this kind of ship (LAC) needs manpower to operate it, something that Saudi Arabia can offer.”
Talk of drone-carrying ships comes after Erdogan signed massive weapons deals, mainly to export combat drones (UCAV) to Saudi Arabia. The UAE has also offered massive contracts to buy TB2 drones produced by Turkish Baykar Technologies. It stands to reason that having ships that can carry these drones would be the next step in bolstering these countries’ arsenal.
“The Saudis wanted to acquire a Turkish-made ship worth $1 billion, but they cancelled it after the crisis,” says Dr Bakir. “So, technically, Saudi Arabia can still be in.”
While Qatar is an unlikely third choice, it is still in the mix, reported Forbes.
Both Doha and Ankara boast a solid relationship that has strengthened over the years, especially during the 2017 GCC crisis.
Qatar is also the only country in the Gulf to host a Turkish military base. Defence agreements between the two countries have included the production of hundreds of battle tanks, and Turkey has also already built naval vessels for Qatar, including two cadet training ships.
“Theoretically speaking, Doha can be in,” Dr Bakir explained, “but this is a huge ship and highly unlikely that Qatar would want such a ship at the current stage.”
What is an amphibious assault ship?
Amphibious assault ships are specifically designed to perform both ground force and air attacks. They usually have well decks, and carry vertical landing jets and helicopters.
Popular amphibious assault ships have been made for the American, Australian, British, Chinese, French, Spanish, Korean, and Italian Navies.
In the Middle East, Egypt was the first country with an amphibious assault ship with its French inspired Mistral ships carrying 16 helicopters, four landing craft, and 13 tanks. They have significantly enhanced Egypt’s heavy-lift capability and enabled Cairo to project significant force beyond its shores.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Anadolu, a Juan Carlos I (Spanish) variant, was meant to carry fighter jets like the American F-35B. This plan was changed to make the ship the first drone carrier after Turkey was banned from purchasing F-35s following its deals with Russia for advanced missiles. Another ship called TCG Trakya is also under construction for the Turkish Navy.
The vessel costs an estimated 1 billion dollars and can accommodate up to 94 vehicles, including 13 tanks.
Popular drone manufacturing company, Baykar, has also modified its next-generation drones (TB3) to operate smoothly with Anadolu. The new ship, which would resemble Anadolu, is expected to be a flagship naval carrier for one of the three Gulf states.
