Turkey to buy 100 one-way explosive naval drones for swarm attacks

İZMİR – Turkey is moving to buy 100 expendable unmanned surface vessels for its navy, Defense News learned during the SAHA Expo 2026 defense exhibition this month.

The decision to procure the systems was made during the February meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, the highest decision-making body in Turkey’s defense procurement and industrial policy.

The Secretariat of Defense Industries (SSB) is overseeing the procurement project. The 100 expendable unmanned surface systems will be produced by three different companies.

One of the three providers is Aselsan, which has teamed up with Ares Shipyard. They unveiled their joint product, Tufan, during SAHA Expo 2026 in Istanbul.

The second provider is STM, which is cooperating with Yonca Shipyard. Their expendable USV, Yaktu, was also unveiled during the trade show.

The third producer is Havelsan, which is working with Sefine Shipyard.

The 100 units are divided as 40 for Aselsan, 32 for STM, and 32 for Havelsan, meaning the overall authorized amount will need to be adjusted slightly to accommodate an operational doctrine that envisions four-drone swarms.

Aselsan’s Tufan unmanned surface vehicle is designed to conduct strike missions against maritime and coastal targets. The vessel is 8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide and carries a high-explosive payload equivalent to one Mk 82 bomb.

STM’s Yaktu USV was developed to meet asymmetric maritime operational requirements, ranging from port protection to open-sea strike missions. It has an overall length of 5.8 meters and a displacement of 1.7 tons.

Both Tufan and Yaktu are configured as expendable, precision-strike unmanned surface platforms designed for engagements against surface targets. They feature compact, low-profile hulls to reduce radar and visual detectability. Both systems support line-of-sight (LOS) and satellite communications, enabling integration into network-centric operations.

Their swarm architecture allows multiple units to operate cooperatively, share data in real time, and autonomously allocate tasks during missions.

Cem Devrim Yaylali is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News. He is a keen photographer of military ships and has a passion for writing about naval and defense issues. He was born in Paris, France, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married with one son.

伊兹密尔——据《防务新闻》本月在 SAHA Expo 2026 防务展上获悉，土耳其正计划为其海军购买 100 艘一次性无人水面舰艇。

土耳其国防工业执行委员会（土耳其国防采购和产业政策的最高决策机构）在2月份的会议上决定采购这些系统。

国防工业秘书处（SSB）正在负责监督该采购项目。这100套一次性无人水面舰艇系统将由三家不同的公司生产。

三家供应商之一是 Aselsan，它与 Ares Shipyard 合作，并在伊斯坦布尔举行的 2026 年 SAHA Expo 展会上推出了他们的联合产品 Tufan。

第二家供应商是STM，该公司与Yonca造船厂合作。他们的一次性无人水面艇Yaktu也在展会上亮相。

第三家生产商是 Havelsan，它与 Sefine Shipyard 合作。

这 100 台无人机分为三类：Aselsan 公司 40 台，STM 公司 32 台，Havelsan 公司 32 台。这意味着，为了适应设想四架无人机集群的作战原则，授权总数需要略作调整。

阿塞尔桑公司（Aselsan）的“图凡”（Tufan）无人水面艇设计用于对海上和沿海目标执行打击任务。该艇长8米，宽1.8米，可携带相当于一枚Mk 82炸弹的高爆炸药。

STM公司的Yaktu无人水面艇是为满足非对称海上作战需求而开发的，其应用范围涵盖港口保护到远海打击任务。该艇全长5.8米，排水量1.7吨。

吐凡和雅图均为一次性使用的精确打击型无人水面平台，专为打击水面目标而设计。它们采用紧凑、低矮的船体，以降低雷达和目视探测概率。两款系统均支持视距（LOS）和卫星通信，可集成到以网络为中心的作战环境中。

它们的集群架构允许多个单元协同工作，实时共享数据，并在任务期间自主分配任务。

杰姆·德夫里姆·亚伊拉利是《防务新闻》驻土耳其记者。他热衷于拍摄军舰，并对海军和国防议题充满热情。他出生于法国巴黎，现居土耳其伊斯坦布尔。他已婚，育有一子。