Teknofest’s maritime edition kicks off to showcase Turkish naval systems

KOCAELİ

The maritime leg of Türkiye’s premier technology event, Teknofest Blue Homeland, kicks off in the northwestern province of Kocaeli on Aug. 20, bringing together 37 naval assets and cutting-edge defense systems for a massive exhibition.

The country’s largest military vessel, the TCG Anadolu, leads an extensive military hardware display during the four-day event. The active-duty fleet joins the historic TCG Savarona, the museum ship Yavuz and various active submarine platforms in the main exhibition area.

The National Submarine (MİLDEN) test block marks a critical milestone in homegrown submarine development at the event. Cutting-edge unmanned surface vehicles, including Ares Shipyard and Meteksan’s Ulaq, Havelsan’s Sancar, Aselsan’s Marlin and Dearsan Shipyard’s Salvo, take their places at the fairground to demonstrate advanced autonomous maritime operations.

The aerial section displays Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 and TB3 drones, with the latter exhibited alongside Aselsan’s Aselbuoy and Aselbuoy Pod systems. The Turkish Navy’s Sikorsky SH-70 Seahawk helicopter and the Turkish Armed Forces’ Bell AH-1W platform join modular remote systems like MKE’s Pirana, Havelsan’s Barkan 2, Baha and Bulut, Roketsan’s Levent, Aselsan’s Tufan and the navy’s Submarine Modular Armored Control Boat.

Türkiye’s multi-layered Steel Dome air defense network takes center stage, presenting Aselsan’s Gurz, Korkut and Goksungur systems while integrating the Siper and Hisar networks jointly developed by Aselsan and Roketsan. Visitors can view Roketsan’s K+, Tayfun, KMC and Pusu missile systems.

The gathering involves daily flight demonstrations and tactical shows by the elite SAT and SAS naval units. The festival integrates maritime culture into the schedule, hosting the Blue Homeland Sailing Parade, dragon boat and swimming races, competitions in unmanned underwater systems, unmanned surface vehicles and underwater rockets and a Da Vinci Robot operation demonstration. Anadolu Agency serves as the global communications partner for the event.

The “Blue Homeland” concept, known as “Mavi Vatan” in Turkish, refers to Türkiye’s maritime jurisdiction claims and national interests in surrounding seas. The doctrine has become a prominent element of the country’s security strategy and foreign policy outlook.

Türkiye has heavily invested in its domestic defense industry over the past decade, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign military suppliers. Events like Teknofest serve as a prominent showcase for these technological advancements, providing a platform to display the military’s rapidly growing inventory of unmanned systems and autonomous naval platforms to an international audience.