Türkiye reports PIRANA surface-drone strike and shipboard TOLGA trial

Türkiye's TURNAs-2026 maritime unmanned-systems exercise in the Antalya Gulf and eastern Mediterranean included a one-way uncrewed surface vessel attack and a shipboard counter-drone firing. Anadolu Agency reported the events on 25 October, citing a statement from manufacturer Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi (MKE). The agency also observed the exercise's distinguished visitors day and reported PIRANA among the participating systems.

PIRANA under airborne control

MKE says its PIRANA one-way surface vessel was controlled through a Bayraktar TB2 aircraft and hit a surface target. It describes this as PIRANA's second exercise attack on a surface target, following an earlier DENİZKURDU-I event. This is a significant cross-domain control demonstration, but the released account does not give a test range, communications performance, independent scoring record or evidence of a fielded operational unit. MKE's published claims about payload and longer-distance communications refer to the offered configuration; they do not establish performance across all conditions.

Countering air and surface targets from a ship

MKE also says a 20 mm twin revolver-gun element of its TOLGA short-range defence system was integrated with the warship TCG Beykoz for the first time and fired against UAV and uncrewed surface-vessel targets, destroying both in the exercise. The source does not identify target types, quantities or engagement conditions, so this is evidence of a shipboard trial rather than a measured defence envelope or naval acceptance.

The Turkish defence ministry described TURNAs as an exercise bringing air, surface, underwater and amphibious uncrewed platforms together. The next useful evidence would be a service test report, an accepted ship configuration, and repeatable results against representative targets. The site's surface-vessel and counter-UAS guides explain those distinct assessment questions.

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