Turkey’s Ares Shipyard has said that Tufan, an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) configured for one-way attack or “kamikaze” missions and developed with defence electronics company Aselsan, has been launched and completed its sea trials.
The USV is intended for expendable attacks against surface vessels and critical coastal infrastructure. It can also carry out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in littoral and open-sea environments.
Ares is responsible for designing and building the vessel and producing its platform, while Aselsan supplied the unmanned system capabilities.
Tufan has a planing hull, and its prototype uses a petrol engine to drive its waterjet.
Aselsan's published specifications of the USV detailed a length of 8.5 metres (28 feet), a beam of 1.6 metres (5.2 feet), a maximum speed of 50 knots, and a range of 200 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 35 knots. Aselsan representatives said that a diesel-engined version of the USV would follow, and that the craft can reach its top speed even under Sea State four conditions.
The company also claimed the craft has a weak radar return and a low thermal signature, ensuring reduced probability of detection by an adversary.
The USV can carry a 250kg (550lb) payload. Aselsan said the warhead is an insensitive type filled with PBX-10 polymer-bonded explosive, and six triggering sensors are fitted at the bow.
Aselsan President and CEO Ahmet Akyol described the warhead as comparable to that of a heavyweight torpedo. This makes the USV a viable alternative for waterborne strike missions that would not put an operator's human crews at risk.
A fixed day/night optronic suite fitted amidships is used mainly for navigation and obstacle avoidance. A gimballed sensor atop the superstructure helps locate targets and guide navigation during the attack phase, including in GNSS-denied conditions.
The optronics allow an operator to remain in the loop, while AI-based algorithms support fully autonomous operation.
The communications fit includes RF line-of-sight links in the L and S bands (1–2GHz and 2–4GHz), with mesh networking when several craft operate together. It also has satellite communications for beyond-line-of-sight control and 4G/LTE. The satcom radome and other antennas are mounted aft.
A portable control console, installed ashore or aboard a naval vessel, lets operators plan and carry out missions, receive images in real time and record data. Aselsan said Tufan is compatible with STANAG 4817, the NATO standard governing unmanned systems command and control across multiple domains.
Aselsan listed independent mission planning and task allocation, sensor fusion, identification of obstacles whether moving or stationary, dynamic adjustment of paths and AI/image-based engagement among the craft's capabilities.
The USV can sail from a port or be deployed from a launching platform and can operate alongside crewed and uncrewed assets. It can also work alone or in a swarm that splits into mission-specific subgroups and asymmetric attack formations.
Aselsan has secured a contract for 40 USVs that will have full autonomy from the first deliveries.
Akyol said research, development, and production are proceeding concurrently, with Tufan due to enter the Turkish Navy inventory by next year.
| Tufan | |
|---|---|
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Type of vessel: | USV – One-way attack |
| Designer: | Ares Shipyard, Turkey |
| Builder: | Ares Shipyard, Turkey |
| Length overall: | 8.5 metres (28 feet) |
| Beam: | 1.6 metres (5.2 feet) |
| Capacity: | 250 kg (550 lb) |
| Propulsion: | Waterjet |
| Maximum speed: | 50 knots |
| Cruising speed: | 35 knots |
| Range: | 200 nautical miles |
| Radios: | L-band; S-band |
| Other electronics: | Aselsan unmanned operation system |
| Type of fuel: | Petrol |