At SAHA Expo 2026, Turkish submarine technologies company DATUM placed its Sinarit concept at the center of its presentation, using the event to outline a modular extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) intended for a wide range of payloads and mission sets.
According to the company’s press release, Sinarit is based on experience gained through DATUM’s mini-submarine work and is designed as a modular uncrewed platform that can be transported in a standard truck container and airlifted by A400M. DATUM says the vehicle can house 3.8-metre payload sections, allowing it to be configured for different roles depending on mission requirements.
The company presented Sinarit primarily as a payload carrier rather than a fixed single-role vehicle. In the configuration list released for SAHA Expo, DATUM referred to options including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads, mine warfare modules, mine countermeasures packages, torpedo armament, and strike-oriented payloads. The latter included concept images and descriptions showing the use of missile and loitering munition-type modules, which is why Sinarit was positioned in DATUM’s presentation as a strike-capable XLUUV rather than only an underwater transport platform.
DATUM also stated that Sinarit XLUUV could carry up to 12 different payload types. Among the roles referenced in the press release were the deployment of “Malaman mines”, the carriage of “Akya and Orka torpedoes”, the use of ASELSAN “Mercan electro-optical systems” for intelligence gathering, and mine countermeasure missions using Meteksan “synthetic aperture sonar” and “ROV-based payloads”. The company also referred to configurations linked to Atmaca and Çakır anti-ship missiles, Gezgin land-attack missile, and Gökdoğan surface-to-air missiles, though these were presented as part of the platform’s intended modular mission set rather than as fielded capability.
That made Sinarit the most notable part of DATUM’s SAHA Expo lineup. As presented by the company, the program is meant to combine underwater persistence, transportability, and payload flexibility in a single common platform. At the same time, much of the capability set described for the vehicle remains tied to DATUM’s stated roadmap and concept imagery, so the practical significance of the program will depend on how these payload options progress in testing and integration.
Multi-purpose Mini Submarine ÇAMD Hits the Water
The key program in DATUM’s presentation was the Çok Amaçlı Mini Denizaltı (ÇAMD), which has more immediate relevance as it has already entered the water. DATUM says the mini submarine was developed with support from Turkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and introduced at SAHA Expo as the country’s first indigenous mini submarine. Assembly was completed at Sefine Shipyard, and the platform carried out its first dive tests on 14 April 2026 at the Sea of Marmara, initially in an unmanned configuration.
The company further stated that ÇAMD is the first submarine project to be classed by Turkish Lloyd (Türk Loydu). DATUM says the platform has a domestic content rate of more than 80 percent, with the pressure hull, motor, and propeller were developed by national means.
Beyond its role as a mini submarine, DATUM is also presenting ÇAMD as a test-bed for Turkish naval subsystems. According to the company, the submarine is intended to support testing linked to the MİLDEN national submarine program, allowing systems to be evaluated in a real underwater environment without assigning fleet submarines to trials work. Future steps mentioned in the press release include the integration of ASELSAN sonars and the ability to launch ROKETSAN’s Orka lightweight torpedo.
Other Solutions Showcased by DATUM
DATUM also used the exhibition to outline several other underwater vehicle projects, though these were secondary to Sinarit and ÇAMD in the overall presentation. These included the Datum SRV submarine rescue vehicle, which the company says it aims to complete for service with Turkey’s rescue command structure, and the Kırlangıç (Gurnard) seabed warfare mini submarine, described as a platform intended for operations involving critical undersea infrastructure and seabed warfare tasks.
Another concept shown was the Trança combat mini submarine, which DATUM says is designed for the requirements of Turkey’s SAT special operations forces. According to the company, the platform is intended to transport six commandos together with diver propulsion systems, while also carrying torpedoes, missiles, and mines.
Taken together, DATUM’s SAHA Expo 2026 presentation showed a company trying to build a broader family of compact underwater platforms, with Sinarit as the central long-term uncrewed combat and payload-delivery concept, and ÇAMD as the nearer-term program following recent sea trials.
