ASELSAN’s DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 unmanned underwater vehicle is on display at IDEF 2025
Türkiye’s leading defense company Aselsan unveiled the DERİNGÖZ 100M/600, a cutting-edge autonomous underwater vehicle designed to elevate naval capabilities, as part of its showcase during IDEF 2025 in Istanbul.
The unveiling of the DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 marks a significant step forward in the Turkish Navy’s efforts to strengthen its capabilities in undersea surveillance, reconnaissance, and mine countermeasure operations. With maritime threats becoming increasingly complex worldwide, the need for advanced underwater systems has never been more critical. This new platform highlights Türkiye’s growing expertise in naval technology and stands as a key asset for ensuring maritime security, particularly in strategically sensitive and contested waters.
The DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 is an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) developed by Aselsan for deep-sea operations up to 600 meters. Equipped with high-resolution side-scan sonar, multibeam sonar, obstacle avoidance sonar, and various communication modes, acoustic, tethered, and wireless, it offers precision in underwater navigation and mission execution. With a 600 mm diameter and a 170 kg weight, the system is compact yet robust, delivering up to 15 hours of operational endurance at a scanning speed of approximately 3 knots. An inertial navigation system, pressure sensors, and a Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) ensure mission accuracy, while its modularity enables mission flexibility ranging from seabed mapping to infrastructure inspection.
The DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 builds upon the foundations laid by the earlier DERİNGÖZ 100M variant, which was tested in 2023. After extensive refinement and integration of advanced sonar and command technologies, the 600-meter version completed its testing in June 2025 and is now declared ready for operational deployment. The development involved close cooperation with Türkiye’s Naval Forces Command, reflecting a coordinated approach to address the specific needs of undersea defense. Aselsan’s focus on domestically sourced components and proprietary software underscores its strategy of technological sovereignty and reduced reliance on foreign suppliers.
Compared to similar AUVs such as the American REMUS 600 or France’s D-19 UUV, the DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 stands out for its balance between mission endurance, modularity, and deep-water capability, all integrated through a nationalized technological base. While the REMUS family has longer endurance, DERİNGÖZ’s primary advantage lies in its use of entirely domestic subsystems, enabling full control over mission software and hardware customization. Historically, Turkish AUV development was limited to shallow water operations; the DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 represents a significant leap into the realm of strategic-depth missions and indigenous industrial competence.
The strategic implications of the DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 are substantial. In a geopolitical climate marked by increased maritime competition in the Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Aegean regions, Türkiye’s deployment of such systems enhances its ability to secure underwater domains, detect hostile activities, and protect critical infrastructure such as pipelines and seabed cables. Militarily, it provides the Navy with a stealthy, persistent, and autonomous tool to operate in contested waters without risking personnel. Geostrategically, the product strengthens Türkiye’s deterrence and intelligence-gathering capabilities in littoral and deep-sea environments, asserting its role as a regional naval power.
Aselsan’s introduction of the DERİNGÖZ 100M/600 marks a turning point for Türkiye’s underwater warfare capabilities and defense industrial autonomy. Through its advanced sonar systems, extended endurance, and indigenous design, this AUV not only secures a new layer of naval operations but also symbolizes a broader transformation within the Turkish defense sector toward fully sovereign solutions. In an increasingly complex maritime environment, Türkiye is positioning itself to shape undersea defense dynamics across its strategic waters and beyond.