Turkish Naval Forces conduct Denizkurdu-I/2026 unmanned systems exercise

Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, announced that the ‘Denizkurdu-I/2026’ exercise demonstrated a future operational concept based on the integration of manned and unmanned systems.

Conducted in the Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean seas, the exercise involved 100 ships, 50 aircraft, and 14,000 personnel. The drills focused on three primary areas: the integrated use of autonomous systems with manned platforms, a hybrid model utilizing network-centric operations, and the coordinated use of kamikaze unmanned surface, underwater, and aerial systems.

During the exercises, the PİRANA kamikaze unmanned sea platform successfully destroyed a target with high precision. Additionally, successful strikes were carried out using helicopter cannons, CİRİT and Hellfire guided missiles, and MAM-C and MAM-L munitions from unmanned combat aerial vehicles.