Turkish defense firm Armelsan completes trials for new homegrown mine-hunting sonar

Turkish firm Armelsan Defense successfully completed sea trials for the new homegrown mine-hunting sonar Nusrat-1915, and it is now preparing to integrate the system into the Turkish Navy fleet.

Armelsan's General Manager Guray Aybar told Anadolu that the homegrown hull-mounted sonar has completed the development stage and is now moving on to the platform integration phase.

“In the upcoming roadmap, efforts will first focus on integrating the system into ships, and activities will be carried out to deploy it on various platforms of the Turkish Navy, primarily on Engin-class vessels,” he said.

The Turkish Navy and Türkiye’s Defense Industries Agency (SSB) expect the fleet to be fully operational by the end of next year, following the initial rollout.

Aybar stated that military personnel involved in the recent sea trials said the Nusrat-1915 outperforms foreign sonars currently in use by Türkiye’s armed forces.

“When we integrate the Nusrat-1915, we will achieve double the detection range and double the performance compared to current capabilities,” he said.

The advanced sonar can detect, track, and accurately classify a wide range of naval hazards from long distances, including bottom mines, chain mines, and manta-type mines, and by providing early warnings and classifications, the Nusrat-1915 ensures specialized personnel can assess and neutralize underwater explosives without exposure to operational risks.

Aybar stated that developing this technology through domestic means has been a pressing strategic necessity amid the increasingly volatile maritime security environments in the Black Sea and the Gulf.

Armelsan Defense is also developing a compact, comprehensive sonar suite for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and autonomous underwater drones.

The compact solution will equip these platforms with key acoustic technologies in a single package, enabling the simultaneous detection, tracking, and classification of both sea mines and hostile divers.

The drone-mounted package will include a multibeam echo sounder and obstacle avoidance sonar, which will generate highly detailed and three-dimensional oceanographic data, allowing autonomous vessels to map the seabed and navigate submerged hazards.

Armelsan Defense plans to deliver these advanced unmanned sonar suites to Türkiye’s armed forces first before offering them to the global export market.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim