STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret AŞ will participate in the EFES-2026 Combined Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise with its autonomous swarm systems and indigenous naval platforms. Conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in Seferihisar, İzmir, with the participation of 45 countries, the exercise stands out as one of the most important events demonstrating Türkiye’s technological progress in the defence industry.

One of STM’s most notable capabilities at EFES-2026 will be the autonomous swarm capability of the nationally developed loitering munition KARGU. Equipped with artificial intelligence and image processing-supported mission capabilities, KARGU can operate in coordination under the swarm concept and conduct simultaneous attacks against targets. This capability shows that unmanned systems can serve not only in reconnaissance and surveillance roles but also as effective strike assets on the modern battlefield.

STM had previously demonstrated its swarm UAV capability during a field test in Polatlı, Ankara, in January 2026. In that test, a swarm of 20 KARGU systems operated autonomously under the control of a single operator using fully national algorithms and hit targets with live ammunition. This achievement was regarded as one of the first live-ammunition swarm operations of its kind and demonstrated Türkiye’s level in autonomous warfare technologies.

STM’s naval platforms will also play an active role during EFES-2026. Several vessels from the MİLGEM Ada-class, Türkiye’s first national corvette project in which STM served as the main subcontractor, will take part in the live-fire phase of the exercise. Four Ada-class corvettes have been delivered to the Turkish Navy so far, representing one of the most important examples of Türkiye’s national warship construction capability.

Submarines whose service lives have been extended through STM’s submarine construction and modernization projects will also be among the platforms participating in the exercise. This demonstrates that STM plays a critical role not only in surface combatants but also in submarine construction, modernization and service-life extension activities. The company’s naval platform expertise strengthens the Turkish Naval Forces’ operational capabilities in the Blue Homeland.

At the Defence Industry Exhibition to be held as part of the exercise, STM will present its national engineering solutions to domestic and foreign delegations. At its stand, STM will showcase Türkiye’s first national frigate, TCG İSTANBUL F-515, Türkiye’s first national fast attack craft, a logistics support ship and the STM NETA 300 autonomous underwater vehicle. These platforms reflect STM’s broad engineering capability in naval technologies.

In the field of unmanned aerial systems, several platforms introduced at SAHA 2026 will also be presented during EFES-2026. These include KUZGUN, a kamikaze UAV system with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and ongoing test flights; TUNGA-X, a drone hunter designed to neutralize enemy loitering munitions and capable of reaching speeds of 300 kilometers per hour; TOGAN-Mini, a mini reconnaissance and surveillance UAV; KarguFPV loitering munition; TOGAN, a national surveillance UAV system; and KARGU, which is already in service across 15 countries on four continents.

STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz stated that the EFES Exercise is one of the key platforms where the high operational capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces and the technological level of the Turkish defence industry are demonstrated to the world. He said STM is proud to stand alongside Türkiye’s security forces with national solutions ranging from naval platforms to unmanned systems. Güleryüz also emphasized that the field use of KARGU systems with autonomous swarm capability is highly important in showing Türkiye’s technological level.

The systems STM will display at EFES-2026 support Türkiye’s goal of using manned and unmanned platforms within the same operational architecture. Indigenous warships, modernized submarines, swarm UAV systems and next-generation loitering platforms stand out as solutions that will increase the Turkish Armed Forces’ mobility, situational awareness and deterrence. EFES-2026 will serve as a critical showcase for STM’s field-proven and game-changing national technologies.