Datum Submarine Technologies Inc., a defense industry company based at Istanbul Technical University, introduced Turkey’s first local and national mini submarine, which they designed and built with the support of the Presidency of Defense Industries, at SAHA Expo 2026. The submarine, whose assembly was completed at Sefine Shipyard, performed its first diving tests on April 14, 2026. The Multi-Purpose Mini Submarine Project is also the first submarine project to be classified by Türk Loydu.
The durable hull of the mini submarine, which has a domestic and national design, was manufactured by Yakut Kazan, its engine was manufactured by Femsan DC motor factory, and its propeller was manufactured by Eriş Pervane. The submarine, which has a localization rate of over 100, made its first unmanned dive off the coast of Karamürsel, and the test was witnessed by Presidency of Defense Industries officials and Türk Loydu surveyors.
Equipping ÇAMD, which will be used as a test platform for the systems developed by Defense Industry companies in Turkey for the MİLDEN National Submarine Project, to test the combat submarines of the Submarine Fleet in a dynamic underwater environment without distracting them from their duties, is among the next planned projects. The know-how gained by Datum Aş with the Multi-Purpose Mini Submarine Project enables the tailor-made design and construction of mini submarines in line with the operational needs defined by the Naval Forces Command.
SINARIT Modular Loaded Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, which is a very advanced example of Large-Scale Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUV), representing the most extreme point that underwater technology has reached worldwide in recent years, forms the backbone of the unmanned leg of these studies. Sinarit, created by unmanning the Multi-Purpose Mini Submarine, can fit into a standard truck container and be transported by A400M aircraft.
3.8 m long modular load compartments can be added to the vehicle by effectively using the volume created by removing people. Whatever load you put in this 3.8m long safe, it can secretly carry that load to the point you want underwater. It cannot be detected by radar during underwater navigation and cannot be monitored from satellite. Sinarit can carry 12 different payloads thanks to its interchangeable payload compartment.
To carry out swarm UAV attacks using Baykar’s drones, to drop 12 Malaman Mines, to collect intelligence with Aselsan Mercan Electro-optic Sensors by surfacing in addition to 2 Akya and 6 Orka torpedoes, to carry out mine countermeasure operations with Meteksan’s synthetic aperture sonar and ROV; ROKETSAN’s Atmaca and Çakır, Tübitak’s Gezgin and Gökdoğan missiles are some of these capabilities to attack sea, land and air targets.
Datum’s mini submarine projects are not limited to this. One of the biggest desires of the company, which also employs retired submariners, is to complete the Submarine Personnel Rescue Vehicle, which they developed to prevent the Dumlupınar Disaster from being repeated, and to put it into the service of Turkish Submariners under the command of the Rescue Underwater Command. Specializing in the Protection of Critical Underwater Infrastructures and Seabed Warfare, the importance of which became better understood after the Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage in the Baltic Sea, the Gurnard Seabed Warfare Mini Submarine stands out with its ability to cut underwater cables and pour Malaman Mine into pipelines and port facilities.
Designed for the needs of the SAT Command, Trança Combat Mini Submarine can dry transport 6 SAT Commandos with DPD systems to a distance of 400 nautical miles underwater, and thanks to its two heavy-type torpedo tubes, it can launch Akya torpedoes and Akata missiles and drop up to 10 Malaman Mines. These manned/unmanned mini submarines of Datum, which can be brought to the seaside by plane or truck and launched into the water by crane, resemble the drone industry rather than the ship industry.
Because they can be transported by truck, they do not need to be built in a seaside shipyard, and it is possible to build hundreds of them in series, side by side. This allows the construction of these mini submarines to continue in land or even underground facilities in case the shipyards are bombed in case of war. Experts evaluate that these manned and unmanned submarines, which can be transported by aircraft, could be a force multiplier or even a game changer for the Turkish Armed Forces.
There is intense interest in Datum’s projects, especially from European Union countries, especially the Sinarit Unmanned Submarine and the Trança Mini Combat Submarine.
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