STM: Türkiye’s autonomous underwater vehicle conducts sea trials

Turkish defense major STM has revealed that the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), STM NETA, is conducting sea trials.

After an extensive period of development, STM NETA 300, the first member of the family, successfully completed its pool tests before proceeding to sea trials. 

The initial tests were carried out in the Mediterranean Sea with “outstanding results”, and the trials are continuing successfully, according to STM. The first domestic sales contract for STM NETA, which will be deployed primarily for mine detection missions, has been signed recently.

“We recently launched the sea trials of STM NETA 300, which we were able to introduce to the high sea after combining our capabilities in naval engineering, autonomous platforms, and command and control systems,” Özgür Güleryüz, General Manager of STM, said.

“Following the pool tests, we put the platform’s sensors, cameras, and autonomous navigation systems through their paces during the sea trials phase, and can now proceed to testing system performance. STM NETA 300 will be utilized by the Turkish Navy for Mine Countermeasures (MCM) missions.”

He added that STM plans to expand the family with medium- and large-class unmanned underwater vehicles that will be more suitable for larger and deeper underwater operations. The technologies developed in this field will support our development of unmanned systems that can serve in a wide range of missions, from underwater security to mine detection.

STM NETA 300 is the first member of the unmanned autonomous underwater vehicle family. Its compact structure, along with its flexible and modular design, allows it to be carried by two people and operate at depths of up to 300 meters, according to STM.

The STM NETA 300 has a maximum speed of 5 knots and can operate for up to 24 hours on a single battery charge. The system operates autonomously when deployed for mine countermeasure (MCM) operations, making use of side-scan and gap-filling sonar technologies to identify mines in suspected high-risk areas.

This enables the user to classify and identify mines or mine-like objects as quickly and effectively as possible. The vehicle also integrates synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) to achieve a broader scan area and high horizontal resolution.

STM NETA 300 can be deployed with all types of surface platforms and quickly deployed to mission areas, where it can significantly contribute to search and rescue (SAR) operations through wide-area scans.

Its side-scan sonar and precision navigation systems provide highly accurate data to support the detection of targets and underwater wrecks. The STM NETA 300 is versatile, offering various robust configuration options, with weights ranging from a basic 70 kg configuration up to 85 kg. 

The name NETA is derived from a naval expression, meaning smooth, safe, and always ready.