Unmanned marine vehicle passes test firing

ISTANBUL

The Albatros kamikaze unmanned marine vehicle swarm, developed locally by leading defense company Aselsan, successfully hit and sank a target ship at sea with pinpoint accuracy.

The Defense Ministry confirmed the test firing conducted off southern city Mersin, revealing that the Albatros, equipped with explosives capable of high-speed movement on water, was able to detonate the enemy target ship upon impact.

During the test, one of the Albatros units, loaded with rocket producer Roketsan ammunition, struck the 22-meter target ship and exploded, causing the vessel to be submerged.

In addition to the Albatros swarm, the test involved the participation of a Bayraktar TB2 drone, the country’s first indigenous armed unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Baykar Technologies. The drone played a role in the exercise by detecting the target ship and guiding the marine swarm towards it.

The test firing was observed by Naval Forces Commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün and Aselsan head Ahmet Akyol.