Bayraktar-class tank landing ship. The Bayraktar class are a class of landing ship tanks (LSTs) built in Turkey. The two amphibious vessels of the class were built for the Turkish Navy by Anadolu Shipyard (). The LSTs will satisfy the current and future operational requirements of the Turkish Naval Forces Command.

The LSTs are primarily intended for amphibious missions and transportation of troops and equipment, while their secondary missions include humanitarian aid, disaster relief, medical assistance and transportation.

Project history
Anadolu Shipyard was awarded a contract to construct two LSTs for the Turkish Navy by Turkish SSM (Turkish Armament Authority) in June 2011. Under the agreement, the shipyard is responsible for their design, build, system integration, testing and delivery. Anadolu Shipyard and HAVELSAN signed a contract in 2012 for the integration of the combat management system (CMS) on the LST vessels. The second contract was signed by both companies for the LST project in March 2013.

Anadolu Shipyard signed supply contracts with Aselsan, Havelsan and ISBIR Elektrik for the LST project in May 2013. Aselsan was responsible for the delivery of the electronics and communications systems, while Havelsan was responsible for the CMS and GENESIS software for the vessels. ISBIR Elektrik provided the diesel generator sets for the LSTs.

In May 2014, the first steel was cut for the lead vessel in class, TCG Bayraktar (L-402). The LST was launched in October 2015 and was commissioned to the navy in 2017. The second LST, TCG Sancaktar was commissioned in April 2018.

Design and features 
The LSTs incorporate an upper-intermediate-sized monohull design made of steel. Each vessel is designed to meet the sea-keeping and stability requirements of the Turkish Navy, and will have an anticipated service life of 40 years. The ships comply with the IMO MARPOL 73/78 and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations.

The fast amphibious vessels are equipped with significant armament and are capable of carrying large quantities of arms and ammunition, as well as marines in support of amphibious operations. TCG Bayraktar will also serve as a flagship and a logistic support vessel.

The ships of the class can operate in Sea State-5 conditions and can also be operated at Sea State-6 or higher, with limitations. Additionally the vessels will support limitless helicopter operations at Sea State-4 conditions.

Each vessel has an overall length of , a beam of  and a draught of less than  forward and less than  aft when fully loaded. The displacement of the vessel is  and the load carrying capacity is , including a mix of vehicles or cargo on open decks.

The LSTs have a ship's company of 12 officers, 51 petty officers and 66 ratings, as well as 17 officers and 350 marines from the Joint Group Headquarters.

Armament and sensors 
The Turkish LSTs are armed with two OTO Melara 40 mm Fast Forty single naval gun mounts, two Mk 15 Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS), and two machine guns on remotely controlled stabilised mounts. The amphibious ships feature a Smart Mk2 3D air/surface search radar, AselFLIR 300D EO director, torpedo countermeasures systems and a laser warning receiver. The sensors and weapons aboard the vessel will be controlled by Genesis CMS.

Propulsion of Turkish LSTs 
The vessels are powered by four  main diesel engines, driving two controllable pitch propellers through twin shafts. The ships will also integrate a  bow thruster and four  diesel generators with a power management system (PMS). The propulsion system provides a maximum continuous speed of more than  at full load displacement.

Ships

References

Amphibious warfare vessels of the Turkish Navy
2015 ships
Ships built in Istanbul
Amphibious warfare vessel classes