Developed by Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defense partnership, Turkey’s first armed USV ULAQ will go under mass-production, Head of Turkish Defense Industries Presidency, Ismail Demir stated during Antalya Diplomacy Forum held between 18-20 June.
“We start mass-production of ULAQ. Just as we have seen our UAVs in the field of operation more than once, you will see several versions of USVs (Unmanned Sea Vehicles),” said Mr Demir during the event.
The ULAQ was initially launched at sea in January and began trials. The production of the coast control station, which was developed to control the craft from land, has also been completed. It completed the sea trials in the first week of May and has hit a land target with a laser-guided Cirit missile with pinpoint accuracy in its first firing conducted as part of the ongoing Denizkurdu 2021 naval exercise.
The developing companies, Ares Shipyard and Meteksan, announced the ASW variant of the Unmanned Surface Combat Vehicle (USCV) on 23 April.
About ULAQ USV:
ULAQ is the name of the Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) product family developed by the strong alliance of ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defence, which includes different platform types, capabilities and functions.
It bears a pod with four laser-guided Cirit missiles, and two laser-guided long-range anti-tank missile (L-UMTAS) launchers, both developed by another leading Turkish defense company, Roketsan.
It is eliminating human factor either by its remote control capability or by its sophisticated software to execute predetermined autonomous missions. By eliminating the human factor, it surpasses the current platform solutions. ULAQ is a messenger, an envoy from ancient history with his extraordinary skills and extreme warfighting capabilities.
Specifications:
Length: 11 meters
Speed: 35 knots
Range: 215 Nautical Miles
Armament: 4xCirit and 2xUMTAS missiles
Control station: Can be controlled from ground and sea stations
Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of Turkey’s ULAQ AUSV.
