A Turkish naval task group led by the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu has deployed under the NATO Allied Reaction Force to take part in exercise STEADFAST DART 2026.
According to NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, the Anadolu Turkish Maritime Task Group sailed earlier this month and is expected to arrive in Rota, Spain on 29 January in support of the alliance’s largest exercise of the year. The deployment marks Türkiye’s contribution to the first large-scale peacetime employment of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force.
The task group comprises the landing helicopter dock TCG Anadolu, logistics support ship TCG Derya, I-class frigate TCG İstanbul, and Barbaros-class frigate TCG Oruçreis. Together, the formation provides a self-contained national maritime force capable of sustained operations at sea.
TCG Anadolu, often described as a drone-capable carrier following Türkiye’s integration of unmanned aerial systems, forms the centrepiece of the deployment. The ship is designed to support amphibious operations, rotary-wing aviation, and unmanned platforms, alongside command-and-control functions for joint operations. NATO said STEADFAST DART 2026 is intended to test the deployability, readiness and interoperability of the Allied Reaction Force across multiple domains, reinforcing the alliance’s deterrence and defence posture amid a more contested security environment.
In addition to surface combatants, the Turkish task group brings amphibious assault vehicles, embarked aviation assets and unmanned systems, enabling joint maritime and littoral operations alongside allied forces. The deployment also coincides with Türkiye holding key NATO command roles. Turkish Naval Forces assumed responsibility for Commander Amphibious Task Force and Commander Landing Force duties from July 2025 through June 2026, marking the first time Türkiye has undertaken both roles within the alliance.
Between January and April 2026, the task group is scheduled to operate across a wide maritime area, including the Mediterranean, Bay of Biscay, English Channel, North Sea, Baltic Sea and Adriatic Sea, while participating in several NATO activities centred on STEADFAST DART. NATO have described the deployment as a demonstration of allied cohesion and the ability to rapidly assemble and project credible maritime forces under the new Allied Reaction Force framework.
So will we witness drones actually operating from this ship, and of course which sort. Might be informative, might not.
TB3s have been deployed operationally before and I’d expect them to be carried. Hopefully we’ll get footage. I’d guess Kizilelma won’t be ready for test for quite some time, although I might be wrong. The Hurjet won’t be ready for testing either. There should be manned attack and maybe ASW helicopters forming the bulk of the aerial capability. An outside possibility is the Talay sea skimmer, which is more likely to be tested toward the end of the year, but it could be more advanced than I think.