Turkey’s Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu (MKE) announced a major milestone for its kamikaze uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) program: the PİRANA system has successfully completed live impact tests and is ready for operational use. Following a series of surface navigation trials, PİRANA executed terminal guidance and impact tests with precision, striking and neutralizing a 3.5-metre target — a result that validates the vehicle’s guidance, control and warhead integration under realistic conditions.

Designed for asymmetric maritime engagements, PİRANA combines a low-cost design philosophy with a high-effect warhead and advanced fuze technology. The platform supports real-time data links to a fixed command centre, allowing operators to monitor missions and issue commands during execution. In addition to remote control, PİRANA can operate in semi-autonomous modes, enabling it to navigate, acquire and home on targets with minimal human intervention when required.

A key feature of the system is its suitability for swarm employment: multiple PİRANA units can be coordinated to overwhelm defenses, conduct saturation attacks against surface ships, port infrastructure or naval base facilities, and perform infiltration missions in contested littoral environments. This capability expands tactical options for coastal defense and littoral strike missions while leveraging cost-effective massed effects rather than a few high-cost platforms.

MKE’s statement positions PİRANA as a pragmatic addition to Turkey’s naval toolkit—compact, adaptable and tailored to modern asymmetric threat scenarios. With impact tests completed, next steps likely include production scaling, formal operational integration with naval command structures, doctrinal development for swarm tactics, and potential export assessments. The program underscores Turkey’s growing portfolio of indigenous maritime autonomous weapon systems and the broader trend toward affordable, networked strike capabilities at sea.