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. About Cem Devrim Yaylali 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. Share: More In Europe Pentagon spars with SpaceX over Starlink price hike during Iran war The Pentagon should be paying more for access to their satellite Wi-Fi network, SpaceX officials argues. India boosts drone warfare capability with compact missile Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called the successful development trials a “strategic milestone” toward self-reliance in defense. US Marine Corps tests using helicopter as mobile drone command center During the test, troops launched a Neros Archer FPV drone from the ground before transferring control to operators aboard a helicopter orbiting miles away. SOCOM begins fielding new battlefield biometrics system Reveal Technology’s Identifi platform allows operators to collect fingerprints, facial scans, iris data and voice recognition in the field. The US Navy is full speed ahead on building a laser fleet Operation Epic Fury may have strengthened the case for laser weapons, but the U.S. Navy’s dream of putting one on every ship may take longer than expected.