VESSEL REVIEW | TCG C-159 & TCG C-160 – Turkish Navy's newest landing craft built for ship-to-shore, ship-to-ship and pier-to-pier transport

Two 3,400kW (4,600hp) main engines drive twin fixed-pitch propellers. Published speed figures distinguish the 20-knot maximum from an 18-knot maximum continuous speed. Those figures are useful when assessing the craft as coastal transports: the higher figure describes peak performance, while the continuous rating describes sustained running.

The stated range is 400 nautical miles, and endurance is at least seven days without replenishment. The ship’s company is given as 20.

The vehicle deck covers 410 square metres (4,400 square feet), and the class is reported to have a loading capacity of 420 tonnes. Its more detailed load cases describe different ways of using that space. For a landing, a craft can carry up to three Altay MBTs. Alternative loads are 260 tonnes of assorted wheeled and tracked vehicles or up to 260 troops.

A pier-to-pier configuration is reported to accommodate seven MBTs. That figure describes transport between prepared loading points, rather than the three-tank load given for a direct landing.