On February 24, 2026, the Turkish Navy commissioned Havelsan’s SANCAR armed unmanned surface vehicle (USV) with a coordinated ceremony held in Ankara and Aksaz Naval Base.
Havelsan press release
With the participation of the President of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, the commissioning ceremony of the SANCAR Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle (AUSV), the groundbreaking ceremony of the HAVELSAN Simulator Production and Integration Facility, and the inauguration ceremonies of the HAVELSAN KAAN Technology Center and the Naval Combat Management Systems Additional Facility were held at HAVELSAN’s Technology Campus.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of National Defence Yaşar GÜLER, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih KACIR, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın BAK, and President of Defence Industries Haluk GÖRGÜN.
President ERDOĞAN Reviews HAVELSAN’s National Technologies On Site
During his visit to HAVELSAN’s Technology Campus, President ERDOĞAN toured the Simulator Integration Hangar, where he was briefed by HAVELSAN CEO Dr. Mehmet Akif NACAR on simulators developed for national platforms such as GÖKBEY, HÜRJET and ALTAY, as well as civil full-flight simulators.
At the HAVELSAN Demonstration Center, President ERDOĞAN received information on command and control technologies, digital troops composed of autonomous unmanned systems and the KOVAN Enterprise Resource Planning platform. He later signed the HAVELSAN Memoir and addressed participants at the ceremony.
As part of the ceremony, a commemorative illustrative model depicting President ERDOĞAN’s simulator flight experience during his visit to HAVELSAN in 2004 was presented by HAVELSAN CEO Dr. Mehmet Akif NACAR.
President of Defence Industries Haluk GÖRGÜN also presented President ERDOĞAN a model of the SANCAR Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle commissioned into service by the Turkish Naval Forces.
SANCAR AUSV Developed Based on ADVENT CMS Architecture
The SANCAR AUSV, commissioned into service during the ceremony, was developed based on the ADVENT Combat Management System (CMS) architecture. Equipped with advanced autonomy capabilities, SANCAR has entered into service of the Turkish Naval Forces.
Developed through the cooperation of HAVELSAN and YONCA TEKNİK using national and indigenous resources, the SANCAR Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle incorporates mission autonomy based on the ADVENT CMS architecture, platform control and monitoring systems, mobile ground control stations, as well as value-added national solutions such as AI-based image processing software and secure communication systems.
With its autonomous capabilities, remote command and control infrastructure and high operational effectiveness, SANCAR AUSV is expected to make a significant contribution to deterrence power across Türkiye’s maritime domains. Thanks to its advanced sensor suite, integrated weapon systems and modular architecture, SANCAR can effectively perform a wide range of missions including reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, surface combat and the protection of critical maritime assets.
Developed in line with the operational requirements of the Turkish Naval Forces, SANCAR reflects HAVELSAN’s advanced level in unmanned autonomous systems technologies and serves as a force multiplier through its full compatibility with network-enabled warfare concepts.
Europe’s Largest Simulator Production and Integration Facility Under Construction
The HAVELSAN Simulator Production and Integration Facility, whose foundation was laid by President H.E. Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN at the HAB Aerospace and Aviation Specialized Organized Industrial Zone in Kahramankazan, Ankara, is set to become Europe’s largest production and integration hub for simulation technologies once completed.
The facility will enable the simultaneous production and integration of more than 30 simulators annually. Built on an area of 60,000 square meters, the site will employ approximately 600 personnel. It will be capable of simultaneously producing and integrating up to 16 Full Flight Simulators, while also supporting serial production activities for air, land and surface robotic and autonomous systems. The facility is designed as a high-capacity, multi-purpose technology center.
HAVELSAN KAAN Technology Center Inaugurated
The KAAN Technology Center, inaugurated at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) campus, will host activities in system engineering, software development, test and validation, platform cybersecurity, and simulation and training solutions. The center will provide a strategic infrastructure for R&D in advanced software, artificial intelligence and integrated defense solutions, and will play a key role in the development of national combat management systems, platform integration and network-enabled operational capabilities.
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Naval News comments
Following the acquisition of MARLIN, ULAQ, SALVO, and ALBATROS-S, SANCAR has become the fifth distinct unmanned surface vehicle (USV) type to enter service with the Turkish Navy. The newly commissioned platform is configured for Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) and Mine Countermeasures (MCM) missions. With this addition, the Turkish Navy now fields a diversified USV fleet developed by multiple domestic companies, covering a broad operational spectrum including ASuW, MCM, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), port and critical infrastructure protection, and other specialized roles.
SANCAR is equipped with ADVENT ROTA, a scaled configuration of HAVELSAN’s ADVENT Combat Management System (CMS), enabling full integration into a network-centric operational architecture. HAVELSAN recently announced the completion of software integration activities aboard TCG Anadolu, allowing the ship to obtain, process, and disseminate data generated by Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicles within a common operational network.
Beyond independent missions, SANCAR is designed to operate within this same network-enabled ecosystem and can be embarked aboard TCG Anadolu. The combined deployment of UAVs and USVs under a unified command-and-control structure significantly enhances distributed maritime operations. In this configuration, TCG Anadolu effectively evolves into a comprehensive drone-centric maritime platform, capable of coordinating multi-domain unmanned assets from both sea and air within a single operational framework.
