At the IDEF 2025 exhibition in Istanbul, held from July 22 to 27, Turkish engineering firm DATUM unveiled a new mini submarine concept called “Gurnard,” designed specifically for seabed warfare operations.
Dr. Munir Cansin รzden, founder of DATUM and a faculty member at Istanbul Technical University, authored this article to highlight the growing importance of seabed warfare in the modern era and to explain the role of the Gurnard mini submarine in supporting operations within this domain.
In 26 September 2022, North Streamline Sabotage remind once again how important is the underwater domain and how fragile it is for covert operations.
Although Nord Stream reminded the name Seabed Warfare, it is not new and both Russia and the USA has very interesting submarine designs for this very important purpose. One very famous operation was Ivy Bells where US Navy wiretapped Soviet communication cables. Some of these special purpose submarines are large nuclear submarines which are converted for seabed warfare operations while others are specifically designed mini nuclear submarines operated by CIA or GRU. USS Halibut which was used in Ivy Bells was converted SSGN on the other hand NR-1 was specially built micro nuclear submarine for Seabed Warfare and she was the smallest ever built nuclear submarine with just 400tons displacement.
In 5th of April 2025, there was a very detailed article published on Sunday times which was focused on Russian sensors on underwater cables and routes of Vanguard class submarines.
Nowadays, underwater research ships such as Yantar or even mega yachts with launching systems for touristic mini submarines can be used as mother ships of covert seabed warfare operations.
%99 of international data traffic relies on underwater cables and since the war in Ukraine started at least 11 incidents happened in just Baltic Sea caused of the damage of underwater cables they are due to sabotage or anchor damage.
When a country shut downs and aircraft of the opponent, it causes a serious conflict. Once an underwater cable is damaged it is not hard to understand it. You just restart your modem in your living room and if internet does not blink, it means somebody touched your cable. But it is very hard to find where it is damaged and operation to repair the damaged cable and effect of that damaged cable on the economy costs far more than an aircraft.
An underwater electric cable or a network cable has a shield to protect the cable from environmental conditions but it very vulnerable for physical damages. Cable grippers and cutters are already in use with offshore industry. In their seabed warfare strategy plan in 2022, France pushed their defence underwater industry for conducting seabed warfare operations down to 6000m which covers %98 percent of worldโs oceans. But China, in 25th March 2025, became the first country which publicly announced that they have a system to cut underwater cables down to 4000m.
China already has vehicles which can operate deeper than these depths and this arm can be attached to these vehicles. As we see above it is not different than an industrial robot arm which you can see inside all new automated factories but a hydraulic cutter is attached to that and motors get waterproof.
Italian Navy since WWII is very well-known for their world leading technologies in covert operations and their latest publicly announced design (AE-90 Submersible) was a very interesting vehicle. Looks like it can be carried piggyback on Italian conventional submarines Saura and Todaro without a requirement for a dry deck shelter.
Like a wet type swimmer delivery vehicle, divers can swim inside underwater but the vehicle is very stiff with very thick pressure hull walls and acrylic windows which clearly indicates an expected to dive down to 1000m and can launch undersea mines from the tube at the aft of the vehicle.
These type of vehicles can also be launched from mission bays or aft ramps from surface ships. But also from commercial ships or mega yachts via their moonpools.
Emerging technologies shows us that manned/unmanned mini submarines will be part of surface ships but also they will launch from larger submarines too.
In Istanbul Technical University, Datum Submarines develops mini submarines for various purposes. Companyโs first submarine, also the first indigenous mini submarine design of Turkey and first submarine classified by Turkish Lloyd is multipurpose mini submarine (or รok Amaรงlฤฑ Mini Denizalti โ รAMD) is funded and owned by the Presidency of Defence Industries of Turkiye. Datum has different designs for emerging undersea requirements like รAMDโs more weaponized version Tranรงa mini attack and special forces submarine.
Datumโs latest design, Gurnard is a Deep Diving Wet & Dry Seabed Warfare Submarine and designed to conduct seabed warfare to damage underwater communication/electric cables via its manipulator and it can deliver 2 Malaman Mines for larger targets.
Gurnard has a tube at the aft of the boat to lay two Turkish indigenous sea bottom mine. Malaman is Turkeyโs indigenous seabottom mine developed by Koรง Savunma, MKE A.ล. and TรBฤฐTAK-SAGE. Gurnard is designed to be transported by cargo aircrafts, launched from a submarine or a surface vehicle. Vessel has an acrylic window in the front. It can detect an underwater pipeline or a cable by the help of side scan sonars and the vessel can conduct precise operations which can either help mine countermeasure or a specially designed replaceable hydraulic manipulator allow operators to grab and cut underwater cables.
Gurnard can be launched from a surface ship or on a trailer from the shore but a specially designed connection mechanism allow the minisub be carried piggyback on larger submarines. Exterior structure of Gurnard can withstand a diving depth of 600m while inside is water resistant down to 50m. As a result, Gurnard can be carried without a need for a dry deck shelter on a submarine. Its water proof interior allows combat swimmers wet entry into the vehicle and conduct operation without need of mother submarine to surface.
Gurnard can be transported inside a standard 40 foot container. This allows a transport inside a ship container via sea, air or land transportation covertly. Two combat swimmers can operate vehicle. Gurnard can be operated in very shallow waters where large submarines can not manoeuver. Also can be operated in very deep waters where seawater pressure is so high that largers submarines can not resist. Its size allows it to get closer to ports, offshore platforms and other critical infrastructures. Gurnard Deep Diving Wet & Dry Seabed Warfare Submarine can be delivered inside TCG Anadolu or similar Platform Docks or amphibious crafts.
| GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS (*) | |||
| Length (LOA) | 9 m | Navigation | GNSS (Surface) INS+DVL (Underwater) |
| Beam (B) | 1.8 m | ||
| Height (D) | 2.2 m | Propulsion | 2x12kW electric motor Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries |
| Displacement (โ) | 12 ton | ||
| Diving Depth | 600m | ||
| Operation Speed | 4 knot | Weapons | 2 units Malaman Mine |
| Max Speed | 6 knot | Sensors | Other: Forward looking sonar, side scan sonar |
| Range | 100 nm (battery) | ||
| Crew | 2 Operator Combat Swimmers | Transport | 40 foot container, airtransport via A400M |
| Communications | VHF, SATCOM(o) | Other | Manipulator cutter |
