Turkey to Produce 50 Units of Armed Unmanned Marine Vessel a Year

Turkey plans to produce 50 units of its armed unmanned marine vessel (SIDA)developed by Ares Shipyard in cooperation with Meteksan Defense Industry Inc. under the ULAQ program.

Utku Alanç, the CEO of Ares Shipyard, was quoted as saying to Anadolu Agency (AA) today that simulation firing has been successfully carried out and that “real missile firing with warheads” will occur in the coming days.

SIDA has a cruising range of 400 kilometers (249 miles) and a maximum speed of 65 kilometers per hour. It is equipped with an indigenous encrypted communications and day and night vision capabilities. Besides attack, it can serve in intelligence-gathering missions.

The vessel is equipped with the long-range anti-tank missile manufactured by Turkish rocket maker Roketsan.

In addition to supplying the Turkish security forces,  Alanç said that that exports would start in line with permits given by the Ministry of National Defense.

We have the capability to produce over 50 boats a year and make them ready for operation, he added.