A new member has joined the ULAQ family, jointly developed by ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defense.
Turkish "ULAQ KAMA" kamikazi unmanned marine vehicle
ULAQ KAMA aims to become the new dominant force in the seas, resulting from the need to acquire relatively low cost but very high impact products in order to maximize deterrence before an aggressive posture and to make the most of the advantages it offers.
Just like the name of the family it belongs to, ULAQ KAMA also carries the characteristics of being true to its name.
ULAQ KAMA is produced as a platform that is always ready to sacrifice itself for this cause and strike the hearts of those with hostile intentions.
ARES Shipyard General Manager Utku Alanç and Meteksan Defense General Manager Selçuk Kerem Alparslan made statements about the ULAQ KAMA saying;
“We would like to express with great pride and happiness that the ULAQ family, Turkey's first armed unmanned maritime vehicle, continues to expand.
We know how important the ULAQ Unmanned Naval Vehicle is to defend our country's "Blue Homeland" and protect maritime rights and interests.
We are witnessing together that asymmetric applications continue to have the potential to change the course of business and even warfare today.
We offer the ULAQ KAMA Consumable Unmanned Sea Vehicle at the service of our country and our allies, combining the most advanced of the studies carried out in this context with the experience we have gained from the ULAQ family.”
Features-Abilities-Missions
The ULAQ KAMA is a deterrent weapon with the long over-the-horizon range provided by its uninterrupted communications network, its low profile provided by its small dimensions, its seaworthiness beyond its dimensions, its explosive payload, while also being a reconnaissance-surveillance platform thanks to the sensor payload it carries.
With its features, ULAQ KAMA will offer new and asymmetric choices to decision makers and express "Trust the Friend, Fear to the Enemy".
Underlining that one of the most important elements of asymmetric warfare is directly proportional to the number of platforms, ARES and Meteksan companies underlined that they can deliver more than 100 ULAQ KAMA to the Turkish Armed Forces in less than a year after the need was declared.
The Turkish design
The design of the Turkish armed forces, according to our previous article, is the creation of an armed force of unmanned land-air and sea systems with the ultimate goal of Greece and dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean.
A Turkish Defense official recently stated that: “Our ultimate goal is an unmanned armed force on the ground, underwater and in the air. All our investments are in this direction. Once we subtract the huma n cost of war for ourselves, we increase it for the enemy, thereby gaining a decisive advantage."
It becomes clear that the Turkish Armed Forces want to create this "arm" of unmanned systems with the aim of hitting our country in every possible or unlikely scenario, without risking a single man themselves.
Turkey's centers of gravity on the Asia Minor coast
According to a very extensive article regarding the arrangement of land-naval and air forces on and near the coasts of Asia Minor, Turkey's air center of gravity is Eskisehir, since both the air force's air assets and its anti-aircraft weapons are controlled from there.
There are also several transfer airports from Izmir and further south.
The maritime center of gravity in Turkey is from the area of Izmir and further south, with an emphasis on the area of Aksaz (opposite S. Rhodes) primarily and Antalya secondarily.
In particular, the wider area of Aydin-Aksaz-Antalya-Isparta-Egirdir is of particular interest, since in addition to the Command of the Southern Complex based in Aksaz (opposite N. Rhodes), there are the Army Aviation School based in Isparta in Northern Kastelorizo, the Division-level Mountain Assault Training Center based in Egirdir NE and near Isparta, the 11 Paratroopers Brigade (-2) based in Denizli and the Regimental Sub-Command of the 11 Paratroopers Brigade based in Aydin, the Area Command Military Gendarmerie Division Level based in Aydin and the Military Gendarmerie Aviation Company based in Aydin.
The Greek reaction
The addition of the USV kamikazi ULAQ KAMA to the Turkish arsenal constitutes a very dangerous asymmetric threat to the Greek fleet in the Aegean and SE Mediterranean.
The experience - effectiveness of the Ukrainian attacks with USVs of similar usability against the Russian fleet in Crimea, shows the truth of the matter.
Greece, with the multitude of islands, intermediate islands, micro-islands and islets it has in the Aegean, needs to have in its arsenal a multitude of highly accurate and lethal weapon systems in order to face Turkish aggression.
The kamikaze and USV UAVs, in addition to the above characteristics, have as additional advantages the low cost of construction and the possibility that the fighters and our civilian population in the Aegean can join the Pallaic defense as operators after a short training.
It is preferable for Greece to have 1 less fighter aircraft F-16, which according to recent purchase prices from Bulgaria 1 American F-16 BLOCK70, together with its weapons systems costs 200 million dollars and with the same money to buy 200 UCAVs about or 800 USV.
We say this since according to current prices, for example, a Turkish Bayraktar costs about 1,000,000 dollars, so the prices of UCAVs of similar capabilities of allied countries will not deviate significantly, while a Ukrainian UCV costs 250,000 dollars.
