On the Live Fire Phase (LFP) of the exercise, the Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, the Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Commander of the Turkish Air Force General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, and Commander of the Turkish Land Forces General Metin Tokel, as well as numerous members of the press, closely followed the exercise aboard the TCG Anadolu LHD on the final day.

The Mavi Vatan Exercise is the largest joint naval exercise conducted by the Turkish Naval Forces. It is organized annually with the aim of assessing and enhancing the ability of naval, air, and land elements to conduct coordinated operations.

The exercise has four primary objectives:

• To increase the operational readiness levels of participating elements

• To test the command-and-control effectiveness of headquarters and operations centers

• To evaluate personnel’s judgement, anticipation, and decision-making capabilities in a multi-threat environment

• To improve joint interoperability procedures among the services

As in previous years, the Mavi Vatan-2026 Exercise was conducted in two phases across the Black Sea, Marmara/Aegean, and Eastern Mediterranean regions. In this context:

Phase 1 - Operational Readiness and Live Weapon Training (April 3-8, 2026):

During the first six days, all participating elements carried out intensive operational readiness training at sea, along with weapon system calibrations. This phase included interoperability activities, coordinated maneuvering, and tactical command and control exercises.

Phase 2 - Live Fire Phase / LFP (April 9, 2026 - Gulf of Antalya):

During the LFP, which represents the peak of the exercise, the following firing and operational activities were conducted:

• Neutralization of drifting mines

• Naval gunfire support (shore bombardment)

• Kamikaze USV attack

• Guided munition firings including MAM-L, CİRİT, AGM-114 Hellfire, and TEMREN

• RIM-7 Sea Sparrow firing

• AKYA Torpedo firing

This year, a total of 120 naval platforms, 50 air assets, and approximately 15,000 personnel from the Naval Forces Command, Land Forces Command, Air Forces Command, and Coast Guard Command participated in the exercise.

Platforms and Technologies Tested for the First Time This Year

Mavi Vatan-2026 also stood out as a landmark exercise in terms of the operational integration of next-generation platforms and indigenous weapon systems. This year, several platforms and technologies developed and produced by the local defense industry were introduced into the exercise environment for the first time.

Kamikaze USV: Uncrewed surface vehicles in the inventory of the Turkish Naval Forces were integrated into the exercise environment for the first time in a kamikaze mission profile under a scenario specific to this exercise. In this context, the Pirana K-USV was employed for the first time.

24 Armed UAVs: A record number of unmanned aerial vehicles were included in the exercise to support simultaneous operational coordination and targeting. Among them, Bayraktar TB3 conducted take-off operations from the TCG Anadolu LHD.

AKYA Torpedo: The testing of the indigenously developed AKYA Torpedo under live-fire conditions constituted one of the most critical elements of the exercise. The first-ever live firing of the AKYA warhead-equipped torpedo was conducted by the TCG Sakarya during this exercise.

MAM-L and TEMREN Munitions: Firing exercises involving indigenous guided munitions such as MAM-L and TEMREN were also carried out using different platform combinations.

Live Fire Phase (LFP) - April 9

On April 9, 2026, during the D Live Fire Phase (LFP), the final day of the exercise conducted in the Gulf of Antalya, a comprehensive program was carried out in the presence of defense industry representatives, members of the press, foreign observers, and invited guests. Following the embarkation of media representatives, the first phase of the day began with the take-off of a fully loaded Bayraktar TB3 Armed UAV from the TCG Anadolu LHD.

After the arrival of the senior command echelon of the Turkish Armed Forces aboard the ship, a series of live fire activities were conducted. These included the neutralization of a drifting mine, followed by naval gunfire support missions against Ateş Island carried out by the TCG İstanbul, an ADA-class corvette, and fast attack craft. During this phase, a successful strike against a surface target was executed using the Pirana K-USV, while a Bayraktar TB3 deployed a MAM-L against an Albatros USV target.

AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters, deployed from the TCG Anadolu LHD, fired CİRİT and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles over Devecitaşı Island, and deployed flares for evasive maneuvering. In parallel, a Sikorsky SH-70 Seahawk helicopter launched from TCG Anadolu executed a TEMREN strike against a surface target. Upon completion of its mission, the Bayraktar TB3 successfully recovered onboard TCG Anadolu in accordance with the exercise scenario.

One of the most critical events of the exercise, the live firing of the AKYA Heavyweight Torpedo, was conducted as the final activity of the morning phase. In this context, the AKYA torpedo launched from Preveze-Class TCG Sakarya (S-354) submarine successfully struck the target vessel Decommissioned Akbaş.

In the afternoon program, naval elements carried out a RIM-7 Sea Sparrow firing against a target drone. Following the completion of the firing phase, a ceremonial sail-past was conducted for formation display, photography, and to salute the command echelon.