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Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu declared Türkiye's navy has proven itself as a "significant deterrent force" in its region as the Blue Homeland 2026 exercise concluded its live-fire phase aboard the TCG Anadolu.
Meanwhile, Baykar's Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) destroyed a kamikaze unmanned surface vessel (KUSV) for the first time as the navy's first indigenous heavy torpedo was fired from a submarine.
"Türkiye is an indispensable element of the security architecture, a game-setter and a global power," Bayraktaroglu told reporters aboard the TCG Anadolu.
"The Turkish Armed Forces are equipped with weapons and equipment produced by our national and indigenous industry, maintaining itself as a significant deterrent force in the region," he noted.
Bayraktaroglu highlighted the destruction of a kamikaze unmanned surface vessel by a TB3 armed drone launched from TCG Anadolu as a first-of-its-kind achievement.
"The destruction of an unmanned surface vessel by a TB3 is a mechanism we are seeing for the first time," Bayraktaroglu said.
"The Turkish Armed Forces are always number one in the world in the use and management of UAVs," he noted.
The exercise also featured the first live firing of the AKYA heavy-class combat torpedo from the submarine TCG Sakarya, an indigenous weapon that represents a milestone for Türkiye's undersea warfare capabilities.
Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu provided an unprecedented level of detail on Türkiye's shipbuilding program. He revealed that 41 military vessels are currently under construction simultaneously across Turkish shipyards—37 for the Navy and four for the Coast Guard. Nine more are set to begin shortly, bringing the total to 50.
"We will be in a position to construct 50 military ships simultaneously," Tatlioglu said.
He detailed the major programs underway, saying, "Our aircraft carrier construction continues at pace. At the same time, the first block of the air defense destroyer TCG Kocatepe has been laid on the slipway."
"We will begin construction of the second, third and fourth Tepe-class air defense destroyers in the shortest time," Tatlioglu said.
The second through fifth Istanbul-class frigates have been launched, with the sixth, seventh and eighth under construction, he said. National mine-hunting ships, assault boats, Bayraktar-class amphibious vessels, open-ocean patrol ships, a national submarine and additional landing ships are also being built.
Tatlioglu said the navy had integrated unmanned air and sea vehicles into its inventory, using them in coordinated operations during the exercise.
"We integrated five types of unmanned surface vessels and two types of kamikaze unmanned surface vessels into our inventory," Tatlioglu said.
"We integrated the ATMACA guided missile fired from our submarines against shore targets. We integrated our first national torpedo, AKYA. We integrated our first national mine, the MALAMAN mine," he noted.
He highlighted the Amphibious Corps established in recent years, which has been operating successfully in the exercise and in domestic and overseas missions.
The newly established Underwater Operations Command has been conducting operations in the Black Sea to destroy mines, unmanned sea vehicles (USVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles that have gone out of control.
Bayraktaroglu framed the exercise within the broader security environment, stating, "The foundation of the Naval Forces Command's strength is training and the exercises where the fruits of that training are reaped," he said.
"One of these exercises is Mavi Vatan, which has been ongoing for 10 days," he added.
"We tested some of the weapon systems we possess as indigenous and national products here," he said.
"The Naval Forces Command continues its activities in a deterrent posture in the Blue Homeland, coordinating with other force commands," Bayraktaroglu noted.
Tatlioglu underscored the geostrategic imperative behind the buildup, stating, "Türkiye's geostrategic position, surrounded by seas on three sides, dictates that it must possess a very powerful navy. And we are a very powerful navy. We are adding strength to our strength every day. The Mavi Vatan Exercise is a concrete demonstration of this."
The exercise was conducted between April 3 and 10, 2026, with the live-fire phase taking place off the coast of Antalya.
The exercise's objectives included operational readiness training, command-and-control effectiveness, and joint interoperability across the Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
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