“I’m really pleased to announce that eight allies are launching a project to explore the development of a mega-constellation called HALO, opening a new chapter in allied space operations,” said Radmila Šekerinska, the NATO deputy secretary-general.

HALO — Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space — will focus on improving connectivity and integration of sovereign, nationally owned and controlled military satellites into a networked constellation.

Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey are part of the effort. It aims to improve alliance resilience and military advantage in space, enabling high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking.

Individual satellite constellations run independently by member countries are vulnerable to cyberattacks, jamming or physical destruction, while also being too slow to relay large amounts of data, Šekerinska said.

“So this new model will be particularly helpful for high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking, overcoming the cost, the time and coverage limitations of single-nation satellite fleets,” she added.

Meanwhile, at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, several nations declared their contributions to the space domain. Canada became the 15th member of NATO’s STARLIFT multinational initiative, which explores ways to develop a network of launch capabilities that will help allies launch assets on short notice from spaceports across the alliance.

Spain became the 19th country to join NATO’s Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space initiative. Madrid will contribute by increasing coastal surveillance through imagery from its “Atlantic Constellation” satellites.

Turkey announced plans for the development of two additional high-resolution satellites to complement space capabilities in the region.

Built by Northrop Grumman, the MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude, long-endurance UAV specifically designed for maritime surveillance over vast stretches of sea.

According to Rutte, the aircraft will help NATO detect threats early, protect sea lines of communication, and support operations in demanding regions, such as the High North. “These aircraft can fly for long periods at high altitude and cover large areas, including over open water, more efficiently than most other aircraft can,” he said at the event, organized to coincide with the NATO summit this week.

Rutte stressed that intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) is a vital capability for the alliance, as it provides the situational awareness needed to make the right decisions and stay ahead of threats. “Today, allies are taking a concrete step to strengthen this capability,” he added.

Rutte said Northrop Grumman will build the Triton aircraft, while European industry will be work on mission support, data systems and infrastructure. “It is genuinely made in NATO and is creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.

The MQ-4C Triton is capable of operating at altitudes above 50,000 feet for 24-plus hours, with a range of 7,400 nautical miles, according to the manufacturer. Current users of the Triton are the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

The decision to procure the systems was made during the February meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, the highest decision-making body in Turkey’s defense procurement and industrial policy.

The Secretariat of Defense Industries (SSB) is overseeing the procurement project. The 100 expendable unmanned surface systems will be produced by three different companies.

One of the three providers is Aselsan, which has teamed up with Ares Shipyard. They unveiled their joint product, Tufan, during SAHA Expo 2026 in Istanbul.

The second provider is STM, which is cooperating with Yonca Shipyard. Their expendable USV, Yaktu, was also unveiled during the trade show.

The third producer is Havelsan, which is working with Sefine Shipyard.

The 100 units are divided as 40 for Aselsan, 32 for STM, and 32 for Havelsan, meaning the overall authorized amount will need to be adjusted slightly to accommodate an operational doctrine that envisions four-drone swarms.

Aselsan’s Tufan unmanned surface vehicle is designed to conduct strike missions against maritime and coastal targets. The vessel is 8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide and carries a high-explosive payload equivalent to one Mk 82 bomb.

STM’s Yaktu USV was developed to meet asymmetric maritime operational requirements, ranging from port protection to open-sea strike missions. It has an overall length of 5.8 meters and a displacement of 1.7 tons.

Both Tufan and Yaktu are configured as expendable, precision-strike unmanned surface platforms designed for engagements against surface targets. They feature compact, low-profile hulls to reduce radar and visual detectability. Both systems support line-of-sight (LOS) and satellite communications, enabling integration into network-centric operations.

Their swarm architecture allows multiple units to operate cooperatively, share data in real time, and autonomously allocate tasks during missions.

The vessel, identified as an AEGIR-W variant, came aground on a beach in the Yüceler neighborhood of Ünye district in Ordu province. Locals discovered the craft and informed the authorities.

According to a statement issued by the Ordu Governorate, Turkish Navy explosive ordnance disposal specialists conducted a technical inspection of the vesselon March 21.

The examination determined that the craft remained operationally active and was carrying a warhead. Given the assessed risk, authorities made the decision to tow the vessel approximately four kilometers from the shoreline and destroy it in a controlled detonation.

The AEGIR-W is a long-endurance unmanned surface vessel designed for operations in high-threat maritime environments. The platform measures under ten meters in length, is constructed from high-density polyethylene, and is powered by a diesel combustion engine.

It is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 25 knots and carries a maximum payload of 300 kilograms across a range of 500 nautical miles at cruise speed. The vessel can operate either fully autonomously or under direct human operator control, depending on mission requirements.

According to Sierra Nevada Corporation’s product documentation, the AEGIR family — which also includes the AEGIR-F stealth variant and the longer-range AEGIR-H — is designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, offensive operations, and autonomous resupply tasks.

The Black Sea has become an increasingly active theater for unmanned maritime systems since the start of Russia’s full-scale Ukraine invasion in February 2022.

This is the fifth time an out-of-control naval surface drone has been found on Turkish shores since September 2025. In previous cases the vessels were Ukrainian Magura-family craft. This is the first time that a foreign-made system has been confirmed present in the region.

The K2 is a fixed-wing loitering munition measuring 5.1 meters in length and 2.1 meters in height, with a wingspan of 10 meters. The maximum take-off weight is 800 kilograms, of which 200 kilograms is allocated to the warhead payload.

Baykar states that the K2 has a maximum range in excess of 2,000 kilometers, a cruising speed of over 200 km/h, and an endurance exceeding 13 hours.

The K2 carries an electro-optical and infrared gimbal camera, providing day and night reconnaissance and surveillance capability alongside a visual target lock-on function for terminal guidance.

The K2’s navigation architecture is designed to function in conditions where global navigation satellite systems are unavailable or subject to jamming. The platform supports coordinate-based targeting and visual lock-on engagement. Datalink architecture includes both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications.

The platform uses terrain-referenced visual navigation — scanning ground features through its gimbal and underside cameras — to derive positional estimates without reliance on external satellite signals.

This approach has become a stated design requirement across a growing number of loitering munitions programs, driven by the prevalence of GPS jamming and spoofing observed in Ukraine and other recent conflicts.

According to Baykar, in the test scenarios, five K2 platforms operating with AI-assisted swarm synergy, used their artificial intelligence, sensors and software to determine their position relative to other aircraft in the swarm, maintaining their place within the formation without error and successfully completing all assigned tasks

Baykar has marketed the K2 as a relatively inexpensive strike option for military forces, with unit cost low enough to permit large-scale fielding and reduce dependence on more expensive precision munitions

While the Turkish armed forces have had to neutralize unmanned surface vessels and drifting sea mines since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the incident this week marked the first time an aerial threat was destroyed.

The drone intercept comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, which has increased air and maritime security risks in the Black Sea region.

The Turkish defense ministry said both sides have been warned to exercise greater caution to prevent incidents that could undermine regional security.

Military officials managed to spot the drone as it flew toward Turkish airspace, prompting a scramble of the F-16 fighter jets for detection, identification and tracking procedures in line with standing rules of engagement during airspace violations, the Ministry of Defense said in a Dec. 18 statement.

The craft presented a challenging target due to its small size, low radar cross-section and difficulty in accurately determining its altitude and speed, the statement reads.

As a result, Turkish forces did not rely on a single sensor, instead fusing data from radar, electro-optical systems, electronic warfare assets and early warning platforms to confirm the track, the ministry said.

While the authorities here have not disclosed details regarding the exact location or means of the shoot-down, local defense outlet SavunmaSanayiST claimed that an AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile may have been used.

Separately, residents in Elmadağ, around 30 kilometers east of Ankara, shared videos on social media on the evening of Dec. 15 claiming to have heard an explosion in the air.

That location lies several hundred kilometers from the Black Sea coastline, depending on the drone’s approach.

The ministry said airspace management decisions during the incident were taken with particular sensitivity to ongoing civilian aviation activity, emphasizing that the chosen method represented the most cautious approach available under the circumstances.

The drone is believed to have fragmented into very small pieces after being shot down, dispersing debris across a wide area and complicating recovery efforts. Search, scanning and technical examination activities are continuing, with the ministry cautioning against speculative claims or disinformation until verification processes are completed.

Turkey rejected assertions that the incident exposed weaknesses in its air defense posture.

The Nov. 29 test, off the coast of Sinop in the Black Sea, included the strike drone, fitted with Aselsan-made sensors and electronics, and a TÜBİTAK SAGE-made Gökdoğan air-to-air missile, according to the statement.

It marked the first time that the jet-engined Kızılelma has successfully engaged an aerial target beyond visual range.

According to information shared by Baykar, five F-16 fighter jets departing from the 5th Main Jet Base Command in Merzifon flew in formation with Kızılelma, demonstrating future air combat concepts through manned–unmanned joint operations.

Ankara-based defense analyst Arda Mevlütoğlu described the test as a milestone toward the Turkish government’s ambitions to have sophisticated defense equipment made at home.

Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, commander of the Turkish Air Force, touted the event as heralding “a new era in aviation history.”

“As the Commander of the Turkish Air Force, I believe we are witnessing a historic day, and when we look back in the future, everyone will better understand what this truly means.”

Turkish drone maker Bayraktar publicized the Nov. 19 event on social media and shared videos of the flight. The tests were conducted off Aksaz Naval Base in the Mediterranean Sea.

The TB-3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) is specially developed for use onboard the Anadolu. The drone is 8.35 meters long and has 14 meter folding wings. It weighs in at 1,600 kilograms, with a payload capacity of 280 kilograms. The aircraft has a 125 knots cruise speed, and it is constructed with six hardpoints from which to hang ammunitions.

According to information shared by the company, the second prototype of TB3 took off from the runway of TCG Anadolu, which has a 12-degree inclined ramp. The UCAV landed after a 46 minute flight back on the ship without the need for any landing support equipment.

The TB-3 is powered by Tusas Engine Industries’ PD-170 engine. The takeoff and landing on the carrier followed more than 700 hours of test flight conducted on land.

The Denizkurdu-II drill, which also saw participation by the Turkish Air Forces, began May 7 and concluded May 18.

Six Albatros-S unmanned surface vessels, made by domestic company Aselsan, were in attendance. The platform is 7.2 meters long and 2 meters wide. It has a displacement of 2,200 kilograms. Its diesel engine can propel the vessel more than 40 knots. The vessel can carry a 200-kilogram warhead.

The other was the TCB 1101, the first unmanned surface vessel commissioned with the navy. The Marlin platform previously took part in NATO exercises REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger in 2022 off the coast of Portugal.

Developed in cooperation with Aselsan and Sefine Shipyard, it is 15 meters long and 3.85 meters wide. It has a displacement of 21 tons. It features the Ares 2N electronic support measures system, the Areas 2NC electronic countermeasures systems and the Stamp remote controlled weapon station, all made by Aselsan.

The USVs were controlled from land-based and shipborne control centers.

Cem Okyay, a retired rear admiral with the service, told Defense News that the unmanned surface vessels offer the navy a defense against asymmetric threats, help fulfill anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and electromagnetic warfare missions, and can carry out mine countermeasure operations. They also provide an additional means of reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Other participating platforms included 94 crewed ships of various types, eight submarines, 10 maritime patrol planes, 16 helicopters, 28 unmanned combat aerial vehicles, 26 fighter aircraft, one airborne warning and control system aircraft, one A400M cargo plane and one target-towing plane.

The navy did not respond to a request for comment.

The Feb. 9 ceremony also involved a flight of the Akinci, according to the Azeri government. The chief technology officer of Akinci manufacturer Baykar, Selcuk Bayraktar, posted images of the event on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Attendees included Bayraktar, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and his son Heydar Aliyev, as well as other high-ranking officers.

The training facility is for UAV operators, while the hanger will serve as a maintenance headquarters.

Azerbaijan had quietly purchased the Akinci. In March 2022, Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said during a news conference that three nations were interested in buying drone type. According to the company, the first group of Azeri pilots for the Akinci completed training in October 2022.

In April 2023, Baykar and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of Baykar drones in the country. Azerbaijan previously used TB2 combat drones in its war against Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The Akinci is a high-altitude, long-endurance drone with a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kilograms (12,228 pounds), compared to the TB2′s 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds). The Akinci’s 1,500-kilogram payload is 10 times more than that of the TB2.

The Akinci can also fly higher than the TB2 at around 30,000-40,000 feet max. The Akinci also uses a wide range of ammunition and missiles, including MAM –L, MAM-C, Cirit, L-UMTAS, Bozok, SOM-A, and the Mark 81/82/83 bomb series.