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_underway_in_the_Adriatic_Sea%2c_22_February_2023_(230222-N-MW880-1248).JPG) Juan Carlos I in February 2023 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Spain | |
| Name | Juan Carlos I |
| Namesake | King Juan Carlos I of Spain |
| Ordered | 5 September 2003 |
| Builder | Navantia |
| Cost | €462 million[1] |
| Laid down | May 2005 |
| Launched | 22 September 2009[2] |
| Commissioned | 30 September 2010[3] |
| Homeport | Naval Station Rota,Rota[4] |
| Identification | Pennant number: L61 |
| Status | Active |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Juan Carlos I class |
| Displacement | 26,000 tonnes[5] |
| Length | 230.82 m (757 ft 3 in)[6] |
| Beam | 32 m (105 ft)[5] |
| Draught | 6.9 m (23 ft)[6] |
| Propulsion | 2 × 11 MWPOD,[5] GE ITP LM2500 + Navantia MAN 16V32/40 |
| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[5] |
| Range | 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)[5] |
| Boats & landing craft carried | FourLCM-1E |
| Capacity | 913 soldiers + up to 46Leopard 2E tanks |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | REGULUS and RIGEL[5] |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | AV-8B Harrier II,Chinook,Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk,NH90 |
| Notes | Aircraft composition: Pure combat: 25 AV-8B/F-35B + 6 flight deck parking spots Mix: 11 AV-8B + 12 NH90 + 6 flight deck parking spots Pure transport: 25 NH90 + 6 flight deck parking spots |
Juan Carlos I is a multi-purposeaircraft carrier-landing helicopter dock (LHD)[7] in theSpanish Navy (Armada Española). Similar in role to many aircraft carriers, the amphibious landing ship has aski jump forSTOVL operations, and is equipped with theMcDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft. The vessel is named in honour ofJuan Carlos I, the formerking of Spain.[8]
The vessel plays an important role in the fleet, as a platform that replaces theNewport-classtank landing shipsHernán Cortés andPizarro for supporting the mobility of theMarines and the strategic transport of other ground forces, and acts as a platform forcarrier-based aviation replacing the withdrawn aircraft carrierPríncipe de Asturias.
The design for theBuque de Proyección Estratégica (Strategic Projection Vessel), as it was initially known, was approved in September 2003.
The vessel has aflight deck of 202 metres (663 ft), with a ski-jump ramp. The ship's flight deck has eight landing spots for Harrier, F-35 Lightning II or medium-sized helicopters, four spots for heavy helicopters of theCH-47 Chinook orV-22 Osprey size.[9] The ship can carry either 30 helicopters or 10/12 McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II or Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and 10/12 helicopters,[5] using the light vehicles bay as an additional storage zone.
The ship usesdiesel-electric propulsion, simultaneously connecting both diesels and the new technologygas turbine powerplant to a pair ofazimuthal pods, for the first time in the Spanish Navy.
The complement of the ship is approximately 900 naval personnel, with equipment and support elements for 1,200 soldiers. Multi-functional garage and hangar space on two levels covers 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft), with capacity for 6,000 tonnes load on each level. A sternwell deck measuring 69.3 by 16.8 m (227 by 55 ft) can accommodate fourLCM-1E landing craft which can beach-deliver non-swimming ground vehicles like tanks and four RHIBs, or oneLanding Craft Air Cushion plusAssault Amphibious Vehicles.[10][unreliable source?]
While the ship has also operated theAV-8B Harrier II fighter aircraft, as of 2025 it was reported that the aircraft would be unlikely to be replaced given that the acquisition of theF-35B fighter has been ruled out by the Spanish government. If confirmed, this means that carrier-based fighter operations onJuan Carlos I will cease in around 2030.[11]
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Construction of the 231 m (758 ft), 27,000-tonne ship started in May 2005 simultaneously at the Navantia Shipyards inFerrol,Galicia (with the cut of the first plate corresponding to Block 320) and inFene, Galicia (with the cut of the first plate corresponding to Block 330). The ship, that supposes a service load of 3,100,000 hours of production and 775,000 hours of engineering, was launched 10 March 2008,[12] and was commissioned 30 September 2010.[3][13] The original budget was €360 million but the ship cost €462 million (US$600 million) in the end.[1]
In June 2007, following a lengthy contest that pitted it against the similar but smaller FrenchMistral-classamphibious assault ship, the Australian government announced that it would buildunder licence two ships of the same design, known as theCanberra-classlanding helicopter dock.Navantia was responsible for the ships' construction from thekeel to theflight deck in Spain, after which the hulls were transported to Australia for completion byBAE Systems Australia. The first of these ships,HMAS Canberra, was commissioned on 28 November 2014. The second ship,HMAS Adelaide, was commissioned on 4 December 2015.
In September 2009,Russia invitedNavantia to take part in a competition to supply theRussian Navy with a new generation ofamphibious assault ships, competing against the FrenchMistral-class ships. In January 2011, Russia chose theMistral proposal over the Spanish concept.
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Navantia provided design, technology transfer, equipment and technical assistance to Turkey'sSedef Shipyard for the design and production ofTCG Anadolu, a modified Turkish derivative of theJuan Carlos class, classified as a "Light Aircraft Carrier" byTurkish Lloyd.[21][22] It features local command and control systems;[23][24] and the combat management system of the ship ADVENT is integrated byHAVELSAN.[25] In December 2013, theTurkish Navy's amphibious assault ship program was estimated to cost€375 million (US$500 million),[26] however the total was near US$650 million when the ship entered service.
Originally, the Turkish Navy wanted a slightly shorter flight deck without the forward ski-jump ramp, optimized for helicopter-only use.[27] The navy later opted for a fully equipped flight deck with the ski-jump after deciding to purchase Lockheed Martin F-35BSTOVL aircraft.[28][29][30] Turkey was aLevel 3 partner in theJoint Strike Fighter program and theTurkish Air Force was to get the F-35ACTOL version. On 17 July 2019, the US removed Turkey from the F-35 program for purchasing the RussianS-400 missile system.[31]
The Turkish version is capable of operating up to 10 helicopters on deck in "light aircraft carrier" configuration.[27][32] The final design's dimensions are: 232 m (761 ft) (length), 32 m (105 ft) (beam), 6.9 m (23 ft) (draught), and 58 m (190 ft) (height).[27] Its displacement is 24,660 metric tons (in "light aircraft carrier" mission configuration) or 27,436 metric tons (in "amphibious landing ship" mission configuration).[27] Its maximum speed is 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) (in "light aircraft carrier" configuration) or 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) (in "amphibious landing ship" configuration).[27]
Its maximum is 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) when travelling at an economical speed.[27] It has a 5,440 m2 (58,600 sq ft) flight deck and a 990 m2 (10,700 sq ft) aviation hangar which can accommodate either twelve medium-sized helicopters or eight CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.[27] When the aviation hangar and the light cargo garage are unified, up to 25 medium-sized helicopters can be carried, or up to twelve helicopters and twelve F-35 fighters.[27] Six more helicopters can be hosted on the flight deck.[27]
The ship has a 1,880 m2 (20,200 sq ft) light cargo garage forTEU containers and 27Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV);[27] a 1,165 m2 (12,540 sq ft) dock which can host fourLanding Craft Mechanized (LCM) or twoLanding Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), or twoLanding Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP);[27] and a 1,410 m2 (15,200 sq ft) garage for heavy loads, which can host 29Main Battle Tanks (MBT), Amphibious Assault Vehicles and TEU containers.[27] The crew consists of 261 personnel: 30 officers, 49 NCOs, 59 leading seamen and 123 ratings.[27]
The final contract for the ship's construction was signed with the Navantia-Sedef consortium on 7 May 2015.[27][28][33] While the commissioning of the ship was scheduled for 2021 in the beginning,[27][28][33] it entered service in 10 May 2023.[34] The estimated cost according to the final specifications was $1 billion in 2015.[27] Construction began on 30 April 2016 at the shipyard of Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. inIstanbul.[29][35][30]
The construction of an identical sister ship, to be named TCGTrakya, is currently planned.[36][37]
| Name | Pennant no. | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Navy | |||||
| Juan Carlos I | L61 | May 2005 | 22 September 2009 | 30 September 2010 | In service |
| Royal Australian Navy —Canberra class | |||||
| Canberra | L02 | 23 September 2009 | 17 February 2011 | 28 November 2014 | In service |
| Adelaide | L01 | 18 February 2011 | 4 July 2012 | 4 December 2015 | In service |
| Turkish Navy —Anadolu class | |||||
| Anadolu | L-400 | 7 February 2018 | 30 April 2019 | 10 April 2023 | In service |
| Trakya | Planned | ||||
