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Türkiye's Solid Aero TALAY Sea-Skimming Drone Highlights Evolving Naval Strike Dynamics at DIMDEX 2026.
Turkish unmanned systems firm Solid Aero presented its TALAY sea-skimming kamikaze UAV on 19 January 2026 at Dimdex 2026 in Doha. The system highlights how low-cost unmanned platforms are reshaping maritime strike concepts for navies facing asymmetric threats.
On 19 January 2026, as Dimdex 2026 opened its doors at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, Turkish unmanned systems manufacturer Solid Aero used its first appearance at the show to spotlight TALAY, a sea-skimming unmanned aerial vehicle designed for maritime strike and surveillance. Presented as a multipurpose platform that flies just tens of centimetres above the sea using wing-in-ground effect, TALAY sits at the crossroads between a loitering munition, a small UAV and a sea-skimming missile. Its unveiling in Qatar comes at a moment when navies are reassessing how low-cost unmanned systems can threaten surface combatants, ports and sea lines of communication. Against the backdrop of recent naval drone operations in the Black Sea and other contested waters, the system’s combination of very low-altitude flight, compact size and kamikaze role is likely to draw close attention from regional and international delegations.
Solid Aero unveiled its TALAY sea-skimming kamikaze UAV at Dimdex 2026 in Doha, highlighting how low-altitude unmanned systems are emerging as a new maritime strike threat (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group / Solid Aero)
TALAY is described by Solid Aero as a low-altitude, multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle optimised for maritime and coastal missions and exploiting wing-in-ground effect to reduce drag and improve lift close to the sea surface. The aircraft operates in an altitude band roughly between 30 cm and 100 m, allowing it either to skim along the wave tops or climb high enough for line-of-sight communications and terminal manoeuvres. With a maximum take-off weight of about 60 kg and a payload capacity of 30 kg, it can carry electro-optical/infrared sensors, small guided munitions or warheads tailored for ship, harbour or coastal targets. Propelled by an electric motor powered by lithium-polymer batteries, TALAY reaches speeds of up to 200 km/h and stays airborne for approximately three hours, with a quoted control and data-link range of around 200 km using a mesh-network architecture for video and telemetry. The system is designed for day-and-night operation and can fly autonomously or under direct operator control, even in sea state 3, preserving its low-altitude profile despite moderate waves.
The airframe is built around a compact, foldable-wing configuration that eases storage in confined spaces such as small combatants, patrol boats, coastal batteries or even containerised launch units. Solid Aero has progressively refined TALAY from early experimental prototypes to the current configuration by iterating its wing geometry, control surfaces and flight-control software to maintain stable flight at sub-meter altitude, and to execute a short “pop-up” climb for terminal attack or target identification. The company has released flight-test footage showing the vehicle cruising almost flush with the sea surface and then transitioning into a steep attack profile, underlining its kamikaze employment concept for anti-ship and harbour targets. According to company representatives, TALAY currently sits at a high technology-readiness level, and the aircraft is expected to move into mass production once the ongoing series of maritime test missions is complete, with the industrial framework already prepared in Türkiye.
TALAY is conceived as a modular multipurpose asset rather than a single-mission loitering munition. Solid Aero lists patrol, reconnaissance, strike and cargo as baseline roles, reflecting a design that can be switched from intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks to one-way attack missions by changing the payload. In a surveillance configuration, its low-altitude profile allows close visual inspection of ships, offshore platforms, coastal infrastructure or narrows, while transmitting real-time video back to a shore-based command post or a mother ship. In its armed form, the system supports several attack geometries described by the company as “normal attack”, “top attack” and “harbour attack”, providing flexibility against different silhouettes and defensive layouts. Flying at 30 cm to a few metres above the water, the UAV can follow sea contours, then briefly climb to strike the upper works of a ship or fixed installation. This mix of roles means the same platform can be used to monitor sea traffic in peacetime and deliver precision kinetic effects in crisis or conflict.
The key tactical advantage of TALAY lies in how it exploits physics and signature management. Operating below the typical radar line of sight and combining low-altitude flight with a small radar cross-section, the vehicle aims to remain undetected until late in its approach, particularly when attacking from sea toward congested coastal radar environments. Unlike conventional fixed-wing UAVs that generally cruise well above the wave tops, TALAY is optimised for “below-cloud” missions in the low troposphere, where ground clutter and sea return complicate detection and tracking.
Electric propulsion further reduces acoustic and infrared signature compared with small turbojet or piston-engined missiles. At the same time, a top speed of around 200 km/h shortens exposure time within defended sectors and supports saturation tactics, for example launching multiple airframes from dispersed coastal launchers or small craft to overwhelm a ship’s close-in defence systems. In sea state 3, where small surface drones can struggle with wave impacts and spray, the wing-in-ground flight regime offers a smoother profile and potentially higher survivability on the approach.
For navies and coast guards, TALAY’s compact form factor and foldable wings simplify integration on platforms that would otherwise lack organic air power. Corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, fast attack craft or auxiliary ships could embark several systems in dedicated racks or standard containers, deploying them for quick-reaction reconnaissance of contacts of interest or as a disposable layer of defence around high-value units. In coastal defence, the UAV can complement truck-mounted anti-ship missiles by providing real-time targeting updates, battle-damage assessment or additional strike options against smaller craft and logistic vessels that might not justify the expenditure of a heavy missile.
Mesh-network communications and GPS-supported navigation allow operators to hand off control between shore stations and ships, enabling cross-domain, joint use in crowded littorals. The possibility of configuring TALAY as a small cargo carrier gives planners another tool for discreet resupply of isolated outposts or special forces elements along the coastline. This versatility is likely to be attractive for states whose maritime forces must cover extended exclusive economic zones with limited numbers of large surface combatants.
The appearance of a sea-skimming kamikaze UAV such as TALAY at Dimdex 2026 feeds directly into current debates about the changing balance between expensive surface fleets and relatively low-cost unmanned systems. Over the last three years, naval and commercial shipping in the Black Sea and other regions has been repeatedly targeted by drones and uncrewed surface vessels, demonstrating that small, expendable platforms can seriously constrain the operations of larger navies and even disrupt strategic energy flows. Systems that combine radar-evading sea-skimming profiles with precision guidance extend this trend into the air domain and offer coastal states an asymmetric tool to deter or complicate the operations of more capable adversaries.
For Türkiye, TALAY strengthens a broader national portfolio of unmanned aerial and maritime capabilities and signals continued investment in indigenous solutions that can be tailored to domestic doctrine and exported to partners. For Gulf and wider Middle Eastern navies visiting Doha, the system highlights how relatively modest investments in unmanned strike platforms could be used to protect offshore energy infrastructure, secure choke points and add resilience to maritime deterrence postures.
TALAY’s presentation at Dimdex 2026 marks more than a simple product launch: it illustrates how a small, wing-in-ground-effect UAV can encapsulate the new logic of maritime warfare, where altitude, signature and cost are leveraged to challenge traditional sea power. As Solid Aero completes its series of maritime test campaigns and prepares the aircraft for mass production, potential operator states will be watching closely to see how the system performs when integrated into real naval concepts of operations and command architectures. The prospect of pairing TALAY with coastal sensors, surface combatants and other unmanned platforms offers a pathway toward layered, distributed defence in congested littorals. If those elements come together as planned, the sea-skimming UAV unveiled in Doha could become a reference point for future low-altitude maritime strike and surveillance systems, reshaping how smaller and medium-sized navies think about securing their waters in the coming decade.
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.