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ISTANBUL — Aselsan used the Saha Expo 2026 defense exhibition here to present a vision of future warfare built around autonomous systems, layered air defense and integrated strike networks, as the Turkish defense-electronics giant seeks to expand its role as a domestic systems integrator and growing global exporter.
In an interview with Defence News during the show, Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol described the company’s latest launches as part of a broader shift toward networked, high-volume and cost-effective systems designed for modern attritional warfare.
In the maritime domain, this strategy manifested itself in the form of two autonomous naval strike systems designed around swarming operations, low observability and high-volume production.
One of them was the Tufan Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), a fast-moving, autonomous platform for both offensive operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks. Akyol described Tufan as Aselsan’s new-generation surface kamikaze vehicle. “It builds on our experience with platforms like Marlin and Albatros [USVs],” he said.
