Juan Carlos I-class

Summary

Description

Juan Carlos I is a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and aircraft carrier operated by the Spanish Navy. Named after the former King of Spain, this vessel also serves a similar role to many aircraft carriers, featuring a ski jump for Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) operations. It is capable of deploying aircraft like the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft and the innovative Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft. Beyond its role in aviation, it succeeds the Newport-class LSTs Hernán Cortés and Pizarro, supporting the mobility of Marines and strategic transport of ground forces.

The vessel's design, known initially as Buque de Proyección Estratégica (Strategic Projection Vessel), was approved in September 2003. It features a 202-meter-long flight deck with a ski-jump ramp and can carry various combinations of up to 30 helicopters or a mix of 10/12 Harrier II/F-35 Lightning II and 10/12 helicopters. Its innovative diesel-electric propulsion utilizes both diesel engines and a gas turbine powerplant connected to azimuthal pods—a first for the Spanish Navy. The ship's complement includes 900 naval personnel and can accommodate equipment and support for 1,200 soldiers. A multi-functional garage and hangar offer 6,000 square meters of space, and the stern well deck can hold landing craft and amphibious vehicles.

Construction of Juan Carlos I started in May 2005 at Navantia Shipyards in Ferrol and Fene, Galicia. After approximately 3,100,000 hours of production and 775,000 hours of engineering work, the ship was launched on 10 March 2008 and commissioned on 30 September 2010. The budget overrun brought the final cost to €462 million.

Internationally, the design of Juan Carlos I influenced other navies. In 2007, Australia selected a modified version of its design to create the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock, with construction partially carried out in Spain. Russia also considered the design in 2009 for their amphibious assault ships but ultimately chose the French Mistral-class instead.

The design was licensed to Turkey, where Navantia provided design, technology transfer, and assistance for the construction of TCG Anadolu, a variant classified as a "Light Aircraft Carrier." Modifications to meet specific Turkish requirements included adopting local command and control systems, with construction beginning on 30 April 2016. Despite initial plans to omit the ski-jump ramp, the Turkish Navy later incorporated it to operate F-35B STOVL aircraft, though Turkey's subsequent exclusion from the F-35 program due to the S-400 missile system purchase from Russia altered these plans. The Turkish variant has distinct operational characteristics and internal capacities tailored to its intended missions. TCG Anadolu was commissioned on 10 April 2023, and there are plans for a sister ship, TCG Trakya.

Technical specifications