At SAHA 2026 in Istanbul, the cumulative weight of Turkey’s subsurface announcements pointed in a clear direction: cheap ways to combat expensive things at sea, delivered from platforms small enough to move by truck.

The clearest expression of that came not from one of Turkey’s established primes, but from Datum AŞ, an Istanbul Technical University-partnered underwater technologies firm which unveiled Turkey’s first indigenous mini-submarine at the show. 

The Multi-Purpose Mini Submarine, which completed its initial uncrewed dive tests off the coast of Karamürsel on 14 April 2026, is certified by Türk Loydu and carries a localisation rate exceeding 80%. Its