US-made naval drone with active warhead washes up in northern Turkey, gets blown up

IZMIR, Turkey — An armed, operational unmanned surface vessel manufactured by U.S. defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation washed ashore on Turkey’s Black Sea coast on March 20, 2026, prompting a security response that culminated in the vessel’s destruction in a controlled offshore detonation.

The vessel, identified as an AEGIR-W variant, came aground on a beach in the Yüceler neighborhood of Ünye district in Ordu province. Locals discovered the craft and informed the authorities.

According to a statement issued by the Ordu Governorate, Turkish Navy explosive ordnance disposal specialists conducted a technical inspection of the vesselon March 21.

The examination determined that the craft remained operationally active and was carrying a warhead. Given the assessed risk, authorities made the decision to tow the vessel approximately four kilometers from the shoreline and destroy it in a controlled detonation.

The AEGIR-W is a long-endurance unmanned surface vessel designed for operations in high-threat maritime environments. The platform measures under ten meters in length, is constructed from high-density polyethylene, and is powered by a diesel combustion engine.

It is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 25 knots and carries a maximum payload of 300 kilograms across a range of 500 nautical miles at cruise speed. The vessel can operate either fully autonomously or under direct human operator control, depending on mission requirements.

According to Sierra Nevada Corporation’s product documentation, the AEGIR family — which also includes the AEGIR-F stealth variant and the longer-range AEGIR-H — is designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, offensive operations, and autonomous resupply tasks.

The Black Sea has become an increasingly active theater for unmanned maritime systems since the start of Russia’s full-scale Ukraine invasion in February 2022.

This is the fifth time an out-of-control naval surface drone has been found on Turkish shores since September 2025. In previous cases the vessels were Ukrainian Magura-family craft. This is the first time that a foreign-made system has been confirmed present in the region.

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.

土耳其伊兹密尔——2026年3月20日，一艘由美国国防承包商内华达山脉公司制造的武装无人水面舰艇在土耳其黑海沿岸搁浅，引发了安全应对措施，最终该舰艇在海上被控制引爆摧毁。

这艘被确认为AEGIR-W型的船只在鄂尔多省于涅区于杰勒社区的一处海滩搁浅。当地居民发现了这艘船并通知了有关部门。

根据奥尔杜省政府发表的声明，土耳其海军爆炸物处理专家于3月21日对该舰进行了技术检查。

经检查，该艇仍处于作战状态，并携带有弹头。鉴于评估的风险，当局决定将该艇拖至距海岸线约四公里处，并进行定向爆破销毁。

AEGIR-W 是一款长航时无人水面艇，专为在高威胁海域作业而设计。该平台长度不足十米，采用高密度聚乙烯材料制造，并由柴油内燃机提供动力。

该船最高航速可达25节以上，巡航速度下最大有效载荷为300公斤，航程达500海里。根据任务需求，该船既可完全自主运行，也可由人工直接操控。

根据 Sierra Nevada 公司的产品文档，AEGIR 系列导弹（包括 AEGIR-F 隐形型和远程 AEGIR-H）专为情报、监视和侦察、电子战、进攻行动和自主补给任务而设计。

自 2022 年 2 月俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰以来，黑海已成为无人海上系统日益活跃的战场。

这是自2025年9月以来，土耳其海岸第五次发现失控的海军水面无人机。此前的案例中，这些无人机均为乌克兰制造的“马古拉”系列无人机。此次是首次在该地区确认发现外国制造的无人机系统。

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。