ASELSAN Reveals New Multi-Domain Warfare Architecture and Autonomous Combat Systems at SAHA Expo 2026.

At SAHA Expo 2026 in Istanbul, held from May 5 to 9 and covered by Army Recognition, ASELSAN presented a new generation of autonomous naval strike systems, layered counter-drone defenses, electronic warfare capabilities, and precision-guided weapons conceived as part of a unified multi-domain combat architecture. The exhibition underscored Türkiye’s ongoing transition from the production of standalone defense platforms toward the deployment of integrated sovereign combat ecosystems designed to reinforce strategic deterrence, improve NATO interoperability, and sustain high-intensity operations simultaneously across the air, land, maritime, and electromagnetic domains.

Among the most notable unveilings were the new KILIÇ underwater strike systems and the TUFAN kamikaze surface vessel, both reflecting ASELSAN’s emphasis on distributed autonomous warfare concepts. These systems are intended to support coordinated low-signature swarm attacks against naval assets while limiting the exposure of crewed platforms in contested environments. In parallel, ASELSAN expanded the scope of Türkiye’s Steel Dome architecture through the integration of anti-drone laser systems, high-power microwave weapons, electronic attack capabilities, surveillance radars, and TOLUN precision-guided munitions. Together, these assets illustrated an operational framework centered on interconnected sensors, electronic superiority, autonomous engagement chains, and scalable precision effects tailored for future high-tempo and high-intensity conflicts.

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ASELSAN showcased a comprehensive portfolio of autonomous maritime systems, layered air defense technologies, electronic warfare capabilities, and precision-guided munitions at SAHA Expo 2026, underscoring Türkiye’s growing ability to develop integrated sovereign combat architectures for modern multi-domain operations (Picture Source: Edited By Army Recognition Group)

As part of Army Recognition’s coverage of SAHA Expo 2026, held from May 5 to 9, 2026, at the Istanbul Expo Center, ASELSAN used the exhibition as a national showcase for Türkiye’s defense technology ambitions, presenting new naval, air-defense, counter-drone, electronic warfare, radar, and precision-strike systems under a refreshed corporate identity and new logo. The company’s stand reflected a clear message: ASELSAN is no longer only a supplier of defense electronics, but a full-spectrum systems integrator able to connect sensors, effectors, command systems, electronic warfare assets, and autonomous platforms into operational architectures. This presence was especially important for the Turkish defense industry because it demonstrated how Türkiye is moving from platform production toward integrated, sovereign combat systems that can support national deterrence, export growth, and allied security requirements.

By presenting these systems at SAHA Expo 2026, ASELSAN also demonstrated how Türkiye’s defense industry has reached a new level of technological maturity, combining domestic engineering, operational experience, and export-oriented production capacity into a coherent national defense ecosystem. This approach confirms the strength of Türkiye’s industrial base, which is increasingly able to design, produce, integrate, and export complex defense solutions across the air, land, naval, electronic warfare, and precision-strike domains. For ASELSAN, the exhibition also marked a new stage in its international positioning, showing a company able to support not only Turkish Armed Forces requirements but also the capability needs of NATO allies and partner countries.

During SAHA Expo 2026, Army Recognition Group also conducted an exclusive interview with Ahmet Akyol, Chief Executive Officer of ASELSAN, who detailed the company’s three principal launch initiatives unveiled at the exhibition. The first centered on autonomous kamikaze systems designed to expand Türkiye’s unmanned strike capabilities. The second highlighted new systems and enhanced operational capabilities supporting the Steel Dome integrated air defense architecture, including advanced counter-UAV and electronic warfare solutions. The third focused on ASELSAN’s latest guided munition and radar families, reinforcing the company’s emphasis on precision engagement and multi-layered battlefield awareness. Through this structured presentation, ASELSAN demonstrated a coherent operational approach aimed at addressing evolving combat requirements across autonomous warfare, layered air defense, surveillance, electronic warfare, and precision strike operations.

The first launch activity focused on kamikaze systems, led by the KILIÇ family of unmanned underwater strike systems and the TUFAN kamikaze unmanned surface vehicle. KILIÇ includes KILIÇ 10, a compact one-man-portable autonomous underwater vehicle with a range of more than 10 nautical miles, and KILIÇ 200, a larger low-signature underwater strike system with a mission range above 100 nautical miles and up to 200 nautical miles with an additional battery pack. Unlike traditional heavyweight torpedoes or large unmanned submarines, KILIÇ is designed around lower-cost, distributed, and swarm-enabled employment, allowing several underwater systems to operate together, complicate acoustic detection, saturate naval defenses, and threaten high-value surface or subsurface targets without exposing crewed platforms. This gives Türkiye a new tool for littoral warfare, naval denial, chokepoint defense, and asymmetric maritime operations through intelligent, affordable, and mass-deployable underwater systems.

TUFAN, presented alongside KILIÇ, is a kamikaze unmanned surface vehicle designed for autonomous surface operations, ISR missions, target acquisition, and offensive naval strike roles. In operational terms, TUFAN expands ASELSAN’s unmanned maritime portfolio by offering a surface-based autonomous attack platform that can support swarm tactics, distributed maritime operations, harbor protection, coastal defense, and offensive missions against enemy surface assets. Together, KILIÇ and TUFAN show how ASELSAN is entering a new phase of naval warfare technology, where unmanned systems can operate below and above the waterline to create a multi-axis threat against adversary fleets, while reducing risk for crewed naval platforms.

The second launch activity focused on new equipment and added capabilities for Türkiye’s Steel Dome, particularly in the fields of anti-drone defense, layered air defense, and electromagnetic spectrum operations. MİĞFER is a close-range hard-kill anti-FPV turret designed to physically engage and neutralize small drones at short distance, providing last-line protection for troops, vehicles, and fixed sites. GÖKALP is an autonomous counter-UAV interceptor system developed to detect, track, and engage hostile unmanned aerial systems. GÖKBERK 10 kW is a laser weapon concept intended for drone defense missions, offering a directed-energy option against small aerial threats. EJDERHA 210 is a high-power microwave system designed to counter drone swarms by disrupting or damaging their electronic components. ILGAR is a fourth-generation communications electronic attack system intended to interfere with hostile communications, command links, and drone control channels. KORAL AD is a long-range radar electronic warfare system designed to detect, deceive, and jam hostile airborne radars, contributing to suppression and degradation of enemy sensor networks. By combining hard-kill interceptors, laser systems, high-power microwave effects, communications jamming, and radar electronic attack, ASELSAN is reinforcing Steel Dome as a multi-layered air and missile defense architecture adapted to drones, loitering munitions, precision weapons, and electronic threats.

The third launch sequence focused on ASELSAN’s latest guided munition and radar developments, notably the FULMAR 500-A multi-function AESA surveillance and reconnaissance radar and the expanding TOLUN precision-guided munition family. Designed for integration on both manned and unmanned aerial platforms, FULMAR 500-A combines air, land, and maritime surveillance capabilities with SAR, ISAR, and GMTI modes within a network-enabled sensor-to-shooter architecture. Alongside the radar, ASELSAN presented several specialized TOLUN variants tailored for distinct operational requirements. TOLUN-F incorporates a programmable proximity fuze optimized for fragmentation effects against dispersed targets, while TOLUN-L employs semi-active laser guidance for precision engagement of moving and time-sensitive objectives. The TOLUN-EW variant introduces stand-in electronic warfare capabilities designed for jamming, deception, and suppression missions against radar and communication systems. Presented together, these systems illustrated ASELSAN’s approach to integrating ISR, electronic warfare, target acquisition, and precision strike capabilities into a unified operational ecosystem adapted to contested modern battlefields.

ASELSAN’s performance at SAHA Expo 2026 confirmed its central role as one of the pillars of Türkiye’s strategic autonomy and as a key industrial champion for the country’s defense exports. Through Steel Dome, the company is preparing to deliver more than 150 components in 2026, including early-warning radars, electronic combat systems, defense systems, payloads, and counter-drone solutions, while the Steel Dome portfolio is expected to represent a major share of ASELSAN’s future business. At the same time, ASELSAN’s new logo and global brand vision reinforced its transition into a more assertive international technology company. With its expanding mass-production capacity, export-oriented strategy, and multi-domain portfolio, ASELSAN is well positioned not only to reinforce Türkiye’s national defense architecture, but also to supply Europe’s wider security umbrella and NATO allied partners with sovereign, combat-proven, and scalable technologies adapted to drone, missile, electronic warfare, and maritime security challenges.

ASELSAN’s presence at SAHA Expo 2026 reflected far more than a traditional exhibition showcase, presenting instead a comprehensive vision of future warfare shaped by autonomous operations, integrated air and missile defense, electronic superiority, precision strike capability, and large-scale indigenous production. Through systems such as KILIÇ and TUFAN in the naval autonomous strike segment, alongside MİĞFER, GÖKALP, GÖKBERK, EJDERHA, ILGAR, and KORAL AD within the Steel Dome architecture and counter-drone ecosystem, as well as advanced solutions including the FULMAR 500-A and the TOLUN guided munition family, ASELSAN demonstrated the growing maturity of Türkiye’s defense technological base and its ability to deliver fully integrated operational capabilities across multiple domains. The exhibition highlighted how the Turkish defense industry is increasingly transitioning from platform development toward the creation of interconnected combat ecosystems capable of responding to the evolving demands of modern high-intensity warfare. By combining advanced engineering, operational adaptability, and sovereign industrial capacity, ASELSAN continues to reinforce Türkiye’s strategic defense autonomy while consolidating its role as one of the leading defense technology providers for partner and allied nations seeking credible, combat-oriented, and rapidly deployable solutions for future security environments.

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.