ARES Shipyard press release

ULAQ Armed Unmanned Surface Vessel, developed by ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defense, has reached a significant milestone by signing its first export naval contract with Qatar. The contract was signed with the Qatar’s Ministry of Interior during the Milipol Qatar Exhibition, marking Turkey’s first unmanned surface vessel export project.

ULAQ 11 PSV Port Security Vessel will be built under this contract to meet needs of the Qatar Coast Guard Command for reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence missions, and critical facility protection activities. ULAQ 11 PSV, which will be delivered following the signing of the contract, will be equipped with a 12.7 mm remote control weapon system, radar, encrypted communication systems, and autonomous software on a high-capability platform.

Mr. Oguzhan Pehlivanli, Deputy General Manager of ARES Shipyard, stated that they continue to work on developing the world’s best unmanned surface vessels with different concepts and payloads, aiming to position Turkey as a trend-setting pioneer and allied country in this field.

Mr. Sukru Serkan Sevim, Deputy General Manager of Meteksan Defense Autonomous Systems, emphasized their pride in achieving Turkey’s first unmanned surface vessel export and in having developed recognized products that adapt to various sea conditions. He stated that they are motivated to continue their efforts to meet the needs of both Turkey and allied countries in this field.

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About ULAQ USV

ULAQ is the brand name for the Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) product family developed by ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defence, which covers a variety of platform types, capabilities, and roles.

ULAQ was first unveiled in October 2020. It has a 400 km range, 65 km/h speed, day/night vision capabilities, encrypted communication infrastructure, which can be operated from mobile vehicles, navy headquarters or from sea platforms such as aircraft carriers or frigates. Its missions include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, surface warfare, asymmetric warfare, escort missions, strategic infrastructure protection.

The prototype carries a launcher for four laser-guided Cirit missiles and two laser-guided long-range anti-tank missiles (L-UMTAS) produced by Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan. The ULAQ prototype carried out test-fires of Cirit against a land target on 26-27 May 2021 during the Denizkurdu-2021 exercise of the Turkish Navy. After the firing trials, the anti-surface warfare (ASuW) version completed the acceptance trials.

Following the ASuW version, which is the initial phase of the project, the development will begin on autonomous surface vehicles for intelligence and electronic warfare, mine hunting, anti-submarine warfare, firefighting, and humanitarian aid/evacuation.

ULAQ USV main specifications

• Length: 11 meters
• Speed: 35 knots
• Range: 400 Kilometers
• Armament:
  • ASuW – 4x Cirit and 2x UMTAS missiles
  • PSV – 12.7 mm RWS
  • ASW – 2x Lightweight Torpedoes
• Control station: Can be controlled from ground and sea stations