Turkish unmanned vessel Marlin gains mine warfare capability

Homegrown Malaman smart sea mines successfully deployed autonomously and with remote-controlled mode, solidifying Türkiye’s position in naval defense

Türkiye’s unmanned surface vehicle (USV), the Marlin, gained significant mine-laying capacity, powered by Malaman smart sea mines. The Marlin was the first USV to enter the Turkish Navy’s inventory. It was developed through a partnership between Sefine Shipyard and defense firm Aselsan under the coordination of the Turkish Defense Industries Agency (SSB). The integration of homegrown Malaman sea mines into the Marlin marked a significant milestone in naval mine-laying capabilities. The smart mines were developed by Sefine Shipyard, research center SISAM and KocDefense.   One year of coordinated efforts resulted in critical capabilities for laying mines using unmanned systems in line with the operational needs of the Turkish Navy. The design and production phases for the mine-laying system were completed, while autonomous and remote-controlled mine-laying algorithms and mission planning interfaces were integrated into the platform. Sefine Shipyard completed the validation and testing of these systems, during which the Marlin USV successfully conducted a mine-laying mission as planned in both autonomous and remote-controlled modes. The deployment of this capability solidifies Türkiye’s position among the few countries that can lay mines using USVs. The Marlin’s modular architecture and multipurpose mission structure were further enhanced, providing speed, low risk, operational flexibility and high stealth for future naval operations, which are expected to multiply the Turkish Navy’s force.