Turkish Aerial and Naval Drones Team up to Sink Target Ship in a Global First

Turkey’s Defense Ministry said domestically developed kamikaze sea drones, in collaboration with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), successfully sunk a target ship.

The trial, held in the Eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Mersin province, featured eight Albatros-S unmanned surface vessels (USVs) developed by the pioneering defense contractor, Aselsan.

Notably, one of these USVs, equipped with a warhead from Roketsan, sank a 22-meter ship within minutes, marking the world's first swarm attack through a USV-UAV joint operation, according to the Defense Ministry.

The Albatros-S USVs are capable of coordinated swarm operations without centralized control. Environmental precautions were taken, including thorough cleaning of the target ship, before the trial.

These USVs, approximately 7 meters long, features a speed of over 40 knots and a cruising range of over 200 nautical miles. They are also equipped with advanced features such as a domestic communication system, control system, multi-communication system architecture, and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), allowing them to operate in non-communication environments as well.