Turkey’s unmanned vessel to showcase at Qatar fair

ANTALYA

Turkey’s first unnamed armed surface vehicle (USV), ULAQ, will be showcased at the DIMDEX 2022 fair in Qatar’s Doha.

The country’s indigenous unnamed vessel has been developed jointly by local companies Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defense in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

The seventh edition of the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) will be held between March 21 and 23. The event, held under the patronage of the ruling emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is hosted and organized by the Qatar Armed Forces and DIMDEX.

DIMDEX is considered one of the world’s leading events on the international defense and security industry calendar.

At the event, Meteksan will also showcase the products it develops for the Turkish Naval Forces, including MILSAR SAR/MTI UAV Radar, the KAPAN Counter Drone System, Land-based NAZAR System and PELIKAN naval Electronic Warfare (EW) test and evaluation system.

“Products developed by Meteksan are being used by several countries,” Meteksan Defense General Manager Selçuk Kerem Alparslan said, noting ULAQ will be put on display with an upgraded design at DIMDEX 2022 fair.

Turkey’s defense industry has successfully increased its exports over the years. Back in 2002, the industry’s exports stood at only $248 million but surpassed the $1 billion threshold in 2011 for the first time. The sector’s export revenues further increased to $2.2 billion in 2018 and to around $3.1 billion in 2019. Exports stood at a record high of $3.2 billion in 2021.