What's inside the unmanned underwater vehicle that Türkiye just unveiled?

The Defense Post reported on October 28 that the UUV model named STM NETA 300 introduced by STM Company can dive up to 300 meters and is currently being tested at sea. "The first deployment of NETA 300 will be used to carry out mine search and destruction missions," STM General Director Ozgur Guleryuz said at the SAHA 2024 aerospace and defense exhibition in Istanbul (Turkey) last week.

NETA 300 has a compact design, weighing 70 kg and can be easily carried by 2 people. This UUV reaches a maximum speed of 5 knots (about 9 km/h) and can operate for 24 hours on a single charge.

The vehicle is equipped with radar and sonar to provide highly accurate data, thereby supporting target detection, identifying mines and mine-like objects. The sonar on the UUV can scan at high frequencies, serving military and civil rescue purposes.

STM plans to develop additional UUVs for deeper-sea operations, adding missions including intelligence gathering, anti-submarine warfare, explosive ordnance disposal, pipeline inspection and geophysical monitoring.

Guleryuz said that in addition to being developed to meet the requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces, the NETA 300 also has great potential for export to allied countries. Last year, the NATO Communications and Information Agency awarded the STM a modernization contract.

Last year, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Communications and Information Agency awarded STM a contract to modernize the NATO agency's intelligence infrastructure.