Turkish Defence Industry President Haluk Görgün announced on Friday, 7 November, that the MARLIN EW 100 unmanned surface vessel, developed by ASELSAN and Sefine Shipyard, completed its latest tests successfully. He said the platform delivers precise target engagement through the SMASH remote weapon system and offers advanced autonomous navigation. Görgün added that MARLIN strengthens maritime deterrence and reflects Türkiye’s national defence vision. “In the second century of our Republic and the 40th year of our Presidency, this success represents the presence of our indigenous capability at sea. I extend my sincere thanks to ASELSAN, Sefine Shipyard, all contributing partners, and every colleague who supported this effort. Our course is the ‘Blue Homeland.’ Our strength comes from our own capabilities,” he said.
The MARLIN EW 100 supports surface warfare and electronic warfare missions and uses a modular architecture that allows different payload configurations. The platform combines autonomy, electronic warfare, surveillance, and communication capabilities within a single multi-role design. The vessel is 15 meters long, 3.85 meters wide, and weighs 21 tons. Two 600 HP diesel engines push MARLIN beyond 35 knots. Its endurance reaches up to 72 hours, while the payload capacity exceeds 4 tons.
A mobile container-based control station manages mission planning, payload control, subsystem monitoring, and live data transmission. Wideband and narrowband satellite links, RF line-of-sight communication, and 4G/LTE connectivity support stable command and control across various environments.
ASELSAN’s autonomy suite enables safe navigation through sensor fusion. The system detects static and moving obstacles and updates routes dynamically. MARLIN maintains autonomous operation under heavy jamming and continues its mission even during GNSS disruptions. The vessel can deploy from ports, logistics support ships, or amphibious platforms. It also cooperates with manned and unmanned assets during joint operations.
The ARES-2NC electronic support system detects, analyzes, and classifies radar signals and provides accurate direction finding. The AREAS-2NC electronic attack system creates false targets and uses range and angle deception with multiple modulation techniques. The MARTI 200-N EO/IR system supplies day and night imaging, while the SMASH 200/12.7-L stabilised weapon system supports defensive engagements. The platform can also configure for anti-surface warfare (ASuW) with guided missiles and for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) with lightweight torpedoes.
The vessel carries an inertial navigation system, dynamic positioning, active stabilization, radar, AIS, and an obstacle-avoidance sonar. The KARETTA anti-jam GNSS solution increases positional accuracy under high interference and improves navigation reliability.
MARLIN is not Türkiye’s only unmanned surface vessel program. The ULAQ family by ARES Shipyard and Meteksan, ASELSAN’s Albatros-S, HAVELSAN’s SANCAR and CAKA systems, and Dearsan’s SALVO also contribute to the country’s growing unmanned naval capability.
