HAVELSAN Links 40+ Unmanned Assets into a Single Joint Operational Picture at TURNAs-2026

Türkiye’s National Unmanned Naval Systems Exercise-2026 (TURNAs-2026) was less about individual drones and more about making them operate as one force. HAVELSAN fielded SANCAR SİDA and USV-12 at sea, BARKAN on land and BULUT in the air, and supplied the command-and-control, autonomy and video-management layer that tied the exercise together.

ADVENT COP: one picture for sea, land, air and undersea

The Joint Operational Picture, ADVENT COP, introduced through cooperation between HAVELSAN and the Turkish Naval Forces Command, stood out as one of the most critical capabilities of the exercise. It merged more than 40 naval, air, land and underwater vehicles taking part in TURNAs into a single shared picture.

Scenario-based tasking was presented in the same environment as each vehicle’s position, status and telemetry. That allowed dissimilar unmanned systems to be managed as a coordinated force rather than as separate assets with separate control stations.

Live video from the field to the command echelon

During the exercise, HAVELSAN’s Unmanned Vehicles Video Management System (VMS) delivered live feeds from more than 30 unmanned vehicles over a common infrastructure. The Web-Based Tactical Maritime Picture, TALAY, provided access to the tactical naval picture.

The TURNAs network, set up jointly by HAVELSAN and the Naval Forces Command, carried the command-and-control, monitoring and management infrastructure of the Tactical Control Centre and the Distinguished Observers’ Area, so every activity in the exercise area could be followed in real time.

SANCAR SİDA operates as an organic element of the mothership

Equipped with the ADVENT ROTA mission system, SANCAR SİDA contributed to the tactical naval picture through reconnaissance, surveillance and target-reporting tasks. Working in integration with the ADVENT Combat Management System via Network Enabled Capability, the armed unmanned surface vessel showed in the field that it can act as an organic element of the main ship.

In practice, this means the USV’s reconnaissance and reporting output feeds the same combat management environment used aboard the warship, rather than being handled as a separate stream.

USV-12 launches a SAGAN UAV autonomously

USV-12, developed by HAVELSAN together with VN Deniz Teknolojileri, carried out the autonomous launch of the SAGAN UAV it carries and then fired non-explosive training munitions at a simulated coastal target. The serial highlighted the flexibility of employing naval and air elements in an integrated way.

Naval Forces Commander thanks the HAVELSAN team

Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu visited the Tactical Control Centre, built in cooperation between HAVELSAN and the Naval Research Center Command (ARMERKOM), and inspected the infrastructure on site. After a detailed briefing on how ADVENT combines elements operating in different domains, Tatlıoğlu said HAVELSAN had successfully assumed the most critical role in the exercise by building the joint operational picture, and thanked the HAVELSAN team.

By combining the Naval Forces Command’s operational experience with HAVELSAN’s national engineering base, TURNAs laid the groundwork for manned and unmanned assets to operate together in the Blue Homeland, sending the message that they are ready for the operating environment of the future.

Frequently asked questions

From the exercise

Source: HAVELSAN