TURNAs-2026: Turkish Navy Rehearses Unmanned Amphibious Raid off Antalya
Turkish naval forces have used unmanned and autonomous systems to rehearse the main stages of an amphibious assault during the TURNAs-2026 Unmanned Maritime Systems Exercise in the Gulf of Antalya and the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence said on its official X account on 24 October 2026.
- Exercise: TURNAs-2026, run by the Turkish Naval Forces Command
- Dates: 19–27 October 2026
- Area: Gulf of Antalya and Eastern Mediterranean
- Participants announced: 18 ships, 11 aircraft, 9 UAVs, 7 unmanned underwater vehicles and 9 unmanned surface vessels
- 41 systems from 17 Turkish defence-industry companies
Amphibious Phases Run With Unmanned Systems
According to the ministry, autonomous unmanned systems were used to carry out reconnaissance and surveillance of the amphibious objective area, to soften the enemy-held beachhead, and to conduct an amphibious raid followed by combat in a built-up area. The ministry said all three serials were completed successfully, but did not name the specific platforms involved in each phase.
A Large Crewed–Uncrewed Force
When the exercise opened, the ministry said the Naval Forces Command had brought together a multi-purpose amphibious ship, frigates, corvettes, fast attack craft, a submarine, a mine countermeasures vessel, a test and training ship, an amphibious landing ship and auxiliary vessels. Maritime patrol aircraft, SH-70 helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles were also assigned, alongside Coast Guard Command boats.
The unmanned element spans the surface, sub-surface, air and amphibious domains and includes unmanned surface vessels and kamikaze USVs. According to the ministry, the platforms are either already in naval service or have been developed by domestic defence firms, with 41 systems from 17 companies taking part.
Testing Industry Systems at Sea
TURNAs-2026 has also served as a test bed for new capabilities. Earlier in the exercise, TUSAŞ said its AKSUNGUR unmanned aircraft dropped ASELSAN aselBUOY 100P acoustic sonobuoys during a submarine-detection mission off Antalya, the first time the system had been released from a UAV.
The exercise runs until 27 October. The Turkish Navy has steadily expanded its use of uncrewed surface and underwater systems in recent years, and TURNAs brings those systems together with conventional crewed forces in a single scenario.
Featured image: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins, U.S. Navy / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
