EDEX 2025: ULAQ's 15 MPV drone signals a new step in Türkiye's autonomous naval warfare.

At EDEX 2025, the Turkish company ARES Shipyard presented the ULAQ 15 MPV unmanned surface vessel, following the program’s restructuring under ULAQ Global to coordinate production, integration, and export activities.

At EDEX 2025, the ULAQ 15 MPV was presented as one of the newest multi-purpose variants of Türkiye’s first armed unmanned surface vessel program, which now covers port security, intelligence and electronic warfare, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-surface warfare. This presentation also comes at a time when the ULAQ brand, initially created through the joint work of ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defence, has evolved into a standalone company known as ULAQ Global in July 2025, to serve both domestic and international customers.
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ULAQ vessels have participated in the NATO Maritime Security Exercise in October 2023, where ULAQ ASuW and ULAQ PSV worked with a Turkish Navy Gabya-class frigate, Coast Guard interceptors, a Coast Guard RHIB, a Bayraktar TB2 UAV, and a special operations team. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

At the core of the ULAQ family is the ULAQ 15 anti-surface warfare (ASuW), the latest member of a family that includes the ULAQ PSV for port security, the ULAQ ISR and EW for reconnaissance and electronic warfare, the ULAQ 12 MCM for mine countermeasures, the ULAQ ASW for anti-submarine warfare, and the ULAQ 15 MPV as a multi-purpose vessel. The new ASuW version is based on a larger hull designed to accommodate four Çakir cruise missiles, water jet propulsion, and an aft mission space for missiles, towed sonars, torpedoes, and unmanned underwater vehicles. This structure follows earlier steps in which ULAQ was first equipped with Cirit and L UMTAS guided munitions, later expanded to anti-submarine variants and kamikaze configurations such as ULAQ KAMA. The EDEX 2025 display also connects these developments with the ongoing reorganization of the program under the newly created company ULAQ Global. This organization emerged from the partnership between ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defence and aims to expand domestic and foreign deliveries, as well as manage the overall growth of the ULAQ program.

The Çakir cruise missile integration is the defining feature of the ULAQ 15 ASuW, moving the platform from the 8-kilometer range of UMTAS and Cirit missiles to a stand-off strike range exceeding 150 kilometers. The Çakir weighs up to 330 kg, has a diameter up to 275 mm, and carries a 70 kg high explosive semi-piercing blast fragmentation or thermobaric warhead. Its mid-course guidance uses inertial navigation, anti-jam GNSS, radar, and barometric altimeters, and terrain-referenced navigation, while its terminal guidance employs Imaging Infrared, RF seeker, or a hybrid IIR plus RF option. The missile can be launched from unmanned surface vessels, unmanned aerial vehicles, including Akinci and Aksungur, fixed and rotary wing aircraft, land vehicles, trucks, helicopters, and naval ships. The missile can also be guided by a different unit after launch, enabling coordinated engagement between platforms. The first known test firing of Çakir occurred from the Bayraktar Akinci UCAV and confirmed the missile’s multi-platform architecture.

The ULAQ program began in 2018 as a joint initiative between ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defence to develop Türkiye’s first armed unmanned surface vessel, with the first prototype unveiled in October 2020 and launched in early 2021. The initial ULAQ measures about 11 to 12 meters in length, carries up to 2,000 kg, and uses an advanced composite hull with the ability to operate in sea state 5 at speeds up to 35 knots with a 400-kilometer range. It employs encrypted communications, anti-jamming features, day and night sensors, a gyrostabiliser, X-band navigation radar, EO and IR tracking systems, depth sounder, VHF radio, and onboard firefighting systems. The vessel completed missile test firings of Cirit rockets during the May 2021 Denizkurdu exercise and later passed acceptance trials for the ASuW version. Control is provided from mobile ground stations, command centers, or naval platforms. The platform is intended for reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, surface warfare, asymmetric missions, escort tasks, and infrastructure security. Over time, it expanded into ASW variants carrying lightweight torpedoes and sonobuoys, mine countermeasures designs, firefighting versions, and humanitarian assistance modules.

Following the initial variant, ARES Shipyard completed production for Turkish Navy units under the ULAQ 12 ASuW and ULAQ 12 ASW programs, both based on a standard hull with different payloads. The ULAQ 12 ASuW uses Roketsan’s modular KMC launcher combined with a 12.7 mm remote weapon station and can fire UMTAS, L-UMTAS, Cirit, and L-UMTAS-GM guided munitions at ranges between 8 and 15 kilometers, depending on missile type. The ULAQ 12 ASW is equipped with sonar options and has provisions for torpedoes and ASW rockets. The KMC and KMC-U launchers feature 360-degree stabilized turrets, autonomous laser marking, day and night operation, EO and IR sensors, STANAG 3733 compliance, MIL STD 1760 and MIL STD 810 compatibility, and spare ammunition storage. These launchers can also be integrated onto other Turkish unmanned vessels, including MARLIN and SALVO. The ULAQ KAMA kamikaze boat was also introduced, with a 200 kg warhead, 20 knot speed, 200 nautical mile range, autonomous and semi-autonomous modes, and the ability to continue searching for targets if communication is lost.

ULAQ vessels have participated in maritime exercises such as the NATO Maritime Security Exercise in October 2023, where ULAQ ASuW and ULAQ PSV worked with a Turkish Navy Gabya class frigate, Coast Guard interceptors, a Coast Guard RHIB, a Bayraktar TB2 UAV, and a special operations team. They provided ISR, live video transmission, and support to interdiction operations, and demonstrated manned-unmanned teaming in a mixed operational environment. The Maritime Security Center of Excellence noted the operational completeness of the activities and the ability for manned and unmanned systems to operate without significant interference. Additional national developments include Türkiye’s order of ULAQ ASuW and ASW units in quantities described as being in the dozens, with unit prices characterized as a few million dollars depending on configuration. The program’s objective includes 90 percent localization of components such as propulsion, 12.7 mm remote weapon stations, torpedoes, L-UMTAS missiles, software, communication systems, sensors, and sonar. Statements indicate that the vessels are now equipped with a domestic propulsion system aimed at improving cruising performance.

Export activity has played a major role in shaping the ULAQ program, most notably with Qatar becoming the first international buyer through a QAR 21.3 million contract, about $5.85 million, for the ULAQ 11 PSV equipped with a 12.7 mm remote weapon station, radar, encrypted communication, and autonomous navigation software. The USV is intended for reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and facility protection and is expected to be delivered after testing and potential modifications. ULAQ PSV has also been offered to Vietnam with the KMC-U launcher, and exports under consideration include one to five anti-surface warfare vessels, port security vessels, and expendable vessels for another foreign customer. ULAQ’s organizational restructuring into ULAQ Global, announced at IDEF 2025, formalizes its status as an independent company seeking international expansion while remaining linked to its parent firms through financing and management. We can also mention that the broader Turkish unmanned surface vessel landscape includes ARES and Meteksan’s ULAQ, Dearsan’s SALVO, Yonca Onuk and Havelsan’s SANCAR, and Aselsan and Sefine’s ALBATROS and MIR.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.