Spanish ship Juan Carlos I

The design for the Buque de Proyección Estratégica (Strategic Projection Vessel), as it was initially known, was approved in September 2003. , July 2013 The vessel has a flight deck of , 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 the CH-47 Chinook or V-22 Osprey size. 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, using the light vehicles bay as an additional storage zone. The ship uses diesel-electric propulsion, simultaneously connecting both diesels and the new technology gas turbine powerplant to a pair of azimuthal 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 , with capacity for 6,000 tonnes load on each level. A stern well deck measuring can accommodate four LCM-1E landing craft which can beach-deliver non-swimming ground vehicles like tanks and four RHIBs, or one Landing Craft Air Cushion plus Assault Amphibious Vehicles. While the ship has also operated the AV-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 the F-35B fighter has been ruled out by the Spanish government. If confirmed, this means that carrier-based fighter operations on Juan Carlos I will cease in around 2030. ==Construction==

Construction of the , 27,000-tonne ship started in May 2005 simultaneously at the Navantia Shipyards in Ferrol, Galicia (with the cut of the first plate corresponding to Block 320) and in Fene, 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, and was commissioned 30 September 2010. The original budget was €360 million but the ship cost €462 million (US$600 million) in the end. ==Exports==

Australia In June 2007, following a lengthy contest that pitted it against the similar but smaller French , the Australian government announced that it would build under licence two ships of the same design, known as the . Navantia was responsible for the ships' construction from the keel to the flight deck in Spain, after which the hulls were transported to Australia for completion by BAE Systems Australia. The first of these ships, , was commissioned on 28 November 2014. The second ship, , was commissioned on 4 December 2015. Russia In September 2009, Russia invited Navantia to take part in a competition to supply the Russian Navy with a new generation of amphibious assault ships, competing against the French Mistral-class ships. In January 2011, Russia chose the Mistral proposal over the Spanish concept. ==Licensing==

Turkey at the Golden Horn in Istanbul. Baykar MIUS Kızılelma is a jet-engined UCAV designed to operate on TCG Anadolu. Its maiden flight took place on 14 December 2022. TCG Anadolu was commissioned on 10 April 2023. Navantia provided design, technology transfer, equipment and technical assistance to Turkey's Sedef Shipyard for the design and production of , a modified Turkish derivative of the Juan Carlos class, classified as a "Light Aircraft Carrier" by Turkish Lloyd. It features local command and control systems; and the combat management system of the ship ADVENT is integrated by HAVELSAN. In December 2013, the Turkish Navy's amphibious assault ship program was estimated to cost €375 million (US$500 million), 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. The navy later opted for a fully equipped flight deck with the ski-jump after deciding to purchase Lockheed Martin F-35B STOVL aircraft. The Turkish version is capable of operating up to 10 helicopters on deck in "light aircraft carrier" configuration. The final design's dimensions are: (length), (beam), (draught), and (height). While the commissioning of the ship was scheduled for 2021 in the beginning, The estimated cost according to the final specifications was $1 billion in 2015. The construction of an identical sister ship, to be named TCG Trakya, is currently planned. == Ships ==