DSA 2024: Aselsan showcases Marlin USV in ASW configuration

An infographic of Aselsan's Marlin USV, which is on display at DSA 2024. (Janes)

Turkey's Aselsan has for the first time displayed its Marlin unmanned surface vessel (USV) in its full anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configuration.

In this configuration – on show at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May – the USV is integrated with the Mini-Düfas low-frequency active towed array and passive towed sonar system. Aselsan aims to operationalise the mini version of its Düfas towed active sonar for USVs, called Düfas-M, in 2024.

Tests on hardware components are under way, with sea trials on a Marlin USV set for the second half of 2024. Düfas features both active and passive arrays and detection and tracking capabilities.

Speaking to Janes on 7 May, Suat Ekmen, Aselsan's Asia-Pacific manager, said, “The specifications including operating frequencies of the array and the towed cable length are kept confidential since the system is at the final stage of development.”

The wet end of the Düfas-M sonar system consists of a low-frequency towed active array fish and a low-frequency towed passive array, mounted separately on nearby winches at the quarterdeck.

Two torpedo launchers are provided at starboard and port sides, and the onboard electronic system consists of signal processing and power cabinets, as well as an operator console in the control room.

Düfas, a low-frequency towed active and passive sonar system designed for surface combatants, aids in long-range ASW and surveillance. It also offers torpedo countermeasure support and features omnidirectional transmission and reception with selectable frequency and pulse types. The development of the sonar system began in 2018, with testing conducted on TCG Inebolu .