GOLCUK, TURKEY — Turkish defence technology company HAVELSAN has unveiled its new self-funded research and development project, AVISTA, at TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland 2026, held from August 20 to 23 at the Golcuk Naval Shipyard Command in Kocaeli.
Building on its experience with the SANCAR and RAFNAR unmanned marine vehicles, HAVELSAN is developing AVISTA to provide autonomous underwater capabilities in environments where GNSS signals are unavailable. The project includes precise underwater positioning, three-dimensional mapping, ship hull inspection, protection of critical underwater infrastructure and integrated underwater navigation corridor planning.
HAVELSAN started the project in response to the high cost of specialised underwater sensors and customs restrictions that can complicate international procurement. The company is developing cost-effective, readily available sensors and autonomous algorithms to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and establish technologies for future underwater platforms.
AVISTA is currently in the research and development phase and is being tested with a remotely operated underwater vehicle capable of six degrees of freedom. Its platform-independent software architecture is designed to allow the algorithms to be adapted to different underwater vehicles. The system is also designed to work with the ADVENT Combat Management System.
The technologies developed under AVISTA will form the technical base for HAVELSAN's ÇAKA Submersible Hybrid Unmanned Marine Vehicle (H-UMV). HAVELSAN is developing algorithms for platforms designed to remain underwater for extended periods while maintaining a low acoustic signature.
The project is intended to support naval applications including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine warfare and seabed warfare through the ADVENT MUREN Combat Management System. Civilian and public-security applications include underwater search and rescue, forensic investigations, inspection of underwater infrastructure and energy facilities, and port security.
According to TEKNOFEST Director Kadir Herkiloğlu, the AVISTA unmanned marine vehicle can dive to depths of up to 500 metres and can be used for mapping, mine-hunting tasks and detecting damage on ships.
HAVELSAN plans to begin sea trials soon and aims to have its underwater technology products and solutions ready for operational use in 2027.
During TEKNOFEST, HAVELSAN also briefed senior leaders and relevant personnel from the Turkish Naval Forces Command on its underwater capabilities. The company also organised an unmanned marine vehicles workshop for children, where participants learned about AVISTA and SANCAR and took part in model unmanned marine vehicle competitions.
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