STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz reviewed the company's work on unmanned aerial vehicles and naval platforms at the TEKNOFEST Southeastern Türkiye event held at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport. Güleryüz said STM has been working on military ship, submarine and drone projects since its establishment.
Preparing the TOGAN-Mini for mass production
Güleryüz said STM had added the TOGAN-Mini to its drone family. He noted that the TOGAN, which has long been used for military purposes, can fly in environments without GPS, and said the new model is intended to stand out in terms of portability and cost-effectiveness because of its smaller size.
The TOGAN-Mini is expected to offer a high degree of autonomy during setup and operation. The drone is planned to be developed to a level that even people with no previous experience operating drones can use it after a few hours of operator training. Its navigation is also intended to be carried out autonomously in line with prior planning.
Güleryüz said they aim for the TOGAN-Mini to compete on price with drones used in the civilian sector and to reduce the need for trained operators. He said the product is intended to become a domestically developed civilian drone capable of effective use primarily to meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces, as well as by public institutions and the civilian sector.
The TOGAN-Mini is expected to be ready for mass production within a few months. Güleryüz said the product is planned to begin appearing in the field in 2027.
STM's other drone projects
Güleryüz explained that STM's drone work had expanded with different products in a process that began with KARGU. The company's new products include KUZGUN, which has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and a high warhead-carrying capacity, as well as TUNGA-X, which can be used against drones.
Work is continuing to enable TUNGA-X to operate at high speed and be guided completely autonomously by radar. Güleryüz said STM approaches its drone projects as an expanding family rather than as individual products and continues to add new capabilities to them.
Military shipbuilding activities
Güleryüz said STM's largest area of activity is military shipbuilding and explained that the company had expanded its work, which began by providing engineering support for the Naval Forces' design efforts on MİLGEM projects. STM is involved in the production of seven I-class frigates simultaneously.
Güleryüz said the company had exported two warships to Ukraine, three warships to Malaysia and two logistics support ships to Portugal as part of its overseas naval platform projects.
The STM 500 submarine project
Güleryüz said STM's submarine activities began with the modernization of Ay-class submarines and that the company had developed expertise in submarine modernization. He said the Presidency of Defense Industries had assigned STM responsibility for increasing the share of domestic contributions in Reis-class submarines, adding that this experience had brought STM to the stage of designing the first small-sized national submarine, called STM 500.
Güleryüz said the STM 500 would give Türkiye the capability to design domestic and national submarines. He noted that many STM employees had taken part in updating the design of Reis-class submarines in line with the needs of the Naval Forces, and that modernization work on French-built submarines in Pakistan was also continuing.
An intensive project-planning effort is being carried out for the STM 500, while talks with the Naval Forces are continuing in Türkiye. Güleryüz said many countries abroad were also interested in the project, adding that the number of countries capable of designing and producing submarines is limited and that bringing the STM 500 to fruition could open a new area for Türkiye's defense industry exports.
