MARLIN SİDA achieves naval mine warfare capability

The MARLIN Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle (SİDA), the first unmanned surface vehicle in the inventory of the Turkish Naval Forces, has successfully demonstrated new naval mine warfare capabilities. Developed through a partnership between SEFİNE Shipyard and ASELSAN under the coordination of the Presidency of Defence Industries, the platform has completed tests for the autonomous and remote-controlled deployment of the domestic MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mine.

Following approximately one year of coordinated development, the system's mine-laying design, production, and mission planning interfaces have been integrated into the MARLIN platform. Testing conducted at the SEFİNE Shipyard confirmed that the vehicle can execute mine-laying missions in both autonomous and remote-controlled modes. This advancement positions Turkey among a limited number of nations capable of deploying naval mines using unmanned systems, providing the Turkish Naval Forces with increased operational flexibility, speed, and stealth.