The Turkish Navy staged a major maritime and aerial display in the Gulf of Izmit in Türkiye’s northwest on Aug. 19, bringing together some of the country’s most prominent warships, submarines and domestically developed unmanned aircraft ahead of Teknofest’s special edition dubbed “Blue Homeland.”
The procession featured the TCG Anadolu, Türkiye’s flagship amphibious assault ship, along with the TCG Heybeliada corvette, TCG Derya support vessel and TCG Preveze submarine, among other assets from the Turkish Naval Forces. Bayraktar TB2, Bayraktar TB3 and AKINCI unmanned aerial vehicles joined the display from the air.
The naval passage began at 8 a.m. from Yalova and followed the Gulf of Izmit coastline through Altınova, Karamürsel, Ereğli, Ulaşlı, Halıdere, Değirmendere, Gölcük, Kavaklı, Başiskele, Izmit and SEKA Park before concluding in Derince at around 1 p.m.
Between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., naval aviation aircraft, maritime patrol planes, helicopters and unmanned aircraft conducted flyovers over the gulf. The Turkish Stars aerobatic team followed with a display between 2:20 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., while residents gathered along the coastline with Turkish flags to watch the formations.
The event was held as part of Teknofest Blue Homeland, the maritime-focused edition of Türkiye’s major aerospace, technology and innovation festival. The four-day event will be held at the shipyard command in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s Gölcük district from Aug. 20-23, jointly organized by the Defense Ministry and the Türkiye Technology Team (T3) Foundation.
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.
Teknofest, meanwhile, has evolved into one of Türkiye’s largest public technology events, bringing together technology competitions, defense-industry exhibitions, air shows and demonstrations of domestically developed systems. Its large-scale gatherings have attracted millions of visitors and are designed to promote interest in science, engineering and technological innovation, particularly among young people.
The main event will head to the southeastern city of Şanlıurfa between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4. First held in Istanbul in 2018, Teknofest rotates between Istanbul and other major Turkish cities, while extending abroad to Azerbaijan and Turkish Cyprus.
