Prototype of Turkey’s AI-Controlled Armored Unmanned Surface Vessel Complete

Turkey’s Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defense Industry Inc., have completed prototype of the country’s first armored unmanned surface vessel (AUSV).

The remote-controlled, autonomous unmanned marine product was designed with artificial intelligence (AI). The marine craft can perform joint operations with other unmanned and manned aircraft, Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday.

Ares Shipyard General Manager Utku Alanç said the vehicle will be operated in the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas. “It is very unlikely to be seen by enemy forces due to its radar signature,” he added.

The AUSV, the first product from the ULAQ series, was first unveiled in October at a press conference in the capital Ankara. It is set to be launched into the sea at the end of this month.

Meanwhile, test firing of the vehicle's weapons systems will be conducted with guided missiles that were also developed domestically by local defense firm Roketsan.

The AUSV will have a cruising range of 400km, a speed of 65kmph, day and night vision capabilities and national encrypted communication infrastructure.

The vehicle can be equipped with different types of payloads to meet the various operational needs of Turkey's security forces, such as electronic warfare, jamming technology and different communication and intelligence systems, as well as missile systems. They are expected to be part of reconnaissance missions, asymmetrical warfare, armed escorts, force protections, strategic facility protections, surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Referring to the command system that can remotely control and manage all the movements of the sea vehicle, Meteksan's top official said, "To use these systems autonomously, they need to have the software and the hardware and be built per the users’ demands and one of the main elements of national production is that you have systems resistant to being jammed by the enemy.”

“The AUSV was built to be resistant to electronic warfare,” he added.