Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defence have announced the next phase of their Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Project. The two companies unveiled their USV Project back in October 2020. It was stated that USV Project consists of six versions, and ULAQ is the name of the Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) product family. The first vessel was declared as ULAQ AUSV (Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle). The AUSV prototype is on sea trials now. The two company today have declared the second vessel from the product family. It is an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) vessel.Two companies have released the same video to social media. Ares Shipyard provides the platform, and Meteksan Defence is a company that develops Underwater Acoustic Systems since 2009. Therefore, the company has acoustic products like Hull Mounted Sonar System, Transducer, Submarine Intercept Passive Sonar. The systems are not declared.
Roketsan has provided the Cirit and Umtas to armed USV. Roketsan has Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Rocket and Launcher System ready to integrate to vessels and the Orka Project. Orka is a lightweight torpedo project that the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) initiated. The “324 mm Torpedo Development Project” will be developed by Roketsan as the main contractor to end the foreign dependency in this area.
When released photos are examined, the launchers for the Orka torpedo are seen. The ASW Rocket and Launcher System can be deployed on patrol boats and engage undersea targets at 500 – 2,000 m ranges and in 15 – 300 m depth. TurDef learned that integrating an ASW launcher system is considered a possibility. The system has a stabilized launcher and can be integrated with the vessel’s combat management system and sonar.
Two companies hope to provide the system to the Turkish Navy to protect the Turkish Maritime and Exclusive Economic Zone in the Mediterranean Sea and on the Aegean Sea.
