Istanbul: Trkiye's unmanned surface vehicle (USV), the Marlin, has achieved a significant advancement in mine-laying capability, driven by the integration of Malaman smart sea mines. The Marlin, which is the first USV to be incorporated into the Turkish Navy's fleet, was developed through a collaboration between Sefine Shipyard and defense company Aselsan, with the Turkish Defense Industries Agency (SSB) overseeing the coordination.

According to Anadolu Agency, the integration of locally developed Malaman sea mines into the Marlin represents a major breakthrough in naval mine-laying technology. These advanced smart mines were the product of a joint effort by Sefine Shipyard, the research center SISAM, and KocDefense. Over the course of one year, these organizations worked together to develop critical capabilities for deploying mines using unmanned systems, tailored to meet the operational requirements of the Turkish Navy.

The design and production stages for the mine-laying system have been completed, with the incorporation of autonomous and remote-controlled mine-laying algorithms and mission planning interfaces into the Marlin platform. Sefine Shipyard carried out the validation and testing phases, during which the Marlin USV successfully executed a mine-laying mission as planned, operating in both autonomous and remote-controlled modes.

This development positions Trkiye among a select group of nations capable of deploying mines using USVs. The Marlin's modular design and multipurpose mission capabilities have been further enhanced, offering increased speed, reduced risk, operational flexibility, and high stealth for future naval operations. These advancements are anticipated to significantly augment the Turkish Navy's operational strength.