DENİZKURDU-2021 Exercise Conducted with the Participation of Over 25,000 Personnel
The SEA WOLF (DENİZKURDU) 2021 Exercise, which takes place every two years, was held in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean between May 25 and June 06, 2021. A total of 25,500 personnel took part in the Exercise, which was conducted in 3 phases under the management and administration of the Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Adnan ÖZBAL and the Naval Warfare Center Command (located at Gölcük Naval Base and hosts a state-of-the art Exercise Control Center) with 132 Ships, 10 Submarines, 43 Aircraft, 28 Helicopters, and 14 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from 10 Public Institutions. Rear Admiral (LH) Yalcın PAYAL, Commander of the TNF Naval Training & Education Command and served as Sea Wolf 2021 Director, also took part in the management and administration of the exercise. DENİZKURDU-2021 was the largest naval exercise ever organized by the Turkish Naval Forces (TNF) in terms of both the number of participating personnel and the number of platforms participating.
A press conference was held for the DENİZKURDU-2021 Exercise on May 24, at the Preveze Hall of the Naval Warfare Center Command at Gölcük Naval Base with the participation of DENİZKURDU-2021 Exercise Director and Commander of the TNF Naval Training & Education Command Rear Admiral (LH) Yalçın PAYAL, Mine Warfare Group Commander Rear Admiral (UH) Ayhan GEDİK, Naval Forces Command Chief of Naval Operations Rear Admiral (LH) Hasan ÖZYURT, and Naval Warfare Center Commander Captain Timur YILMAZ.
Providing information about the course, execution, and purpose of the exercise, DENİZKURDU-2021 Exercise Director Rear Admiral Yalçın PAYAL said, “Exercise DENİZKURDU-2021 aims to test the organizational effectiveness of the headquarters and operation centers of the Naval Forces Command and its affiliated commands, evaluate the judgment, foresight, and decision-making capabilities of Headquarters personnel and the elements participating in the exercise in a high threat environment, and increase the training levels of the Navy elements by testing the cooperation and support procedures with other Force Commands and Public Institutions. Having completed its operational level preparation training with the BLUE HOMELAND (MAVİ VATAN, conducted during February 25th - March 7th) 2021 Exercise within the framework of its annual exercise program, the Turkish Naval Forces (TNF) will carry out its strategic level training based on a generic scenario with the DENİZKURDU-2021 Exercise with much broader participation. Our Naval Forces, which continue their activities with a high operational tempo in all surrounding seas, will have the opportunity to test their abilities with this Exercise.” Stating that 12 Frigates, 9 Corvettes, 18 Fast Attack Craft, 10 Submarines, 11 Mine Hunters, 16 Patrol Ships, 33 Auxiliary Ships, 24 Landing Ships, 11 Fixed-wing Aircraft, 16 Helicopters, 14 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Naval Special Operations Forces (SAT & SAS), and Amphibious Naval Infantry and Amphibious Assault Teams from the Naval Forces Command will participate in the Exercise, Rear Admiral PAYAL added that a total of 132 Surface Ships, 10 Submarines, 43 Aircraft and 28 Helicopters, and 14 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) will take part in the Exercise, including Attack and Utility Helicopters from the Land Forces Command; Fighter Aircraft, Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) and Transport Aircraft from the Air Force Command; Search and Rescue (SAR) Team and Search and Rescue Helicopter from the Gendarmerie General Command; Special Forces Teams and helicopters from the Special Forces Command; and lastly Search and Rescue Corvette, Coast Guard Boats and Coast Guard Helicopters from the Coast Guard Command.
Responding to our magazine's questions during the Q&A session of the press conference, regarding the new munitions and weapon systems (referring the ULAQ Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle [AUSV]’s firing tests carried out off the cost of Antalya) during the Exercise, Rear Admiral PAYAL said: “The DENİZKURDU Exercises are generally executed at the strategic level, and trying newly procured munitions, or weapon systems is not part of their primary purpose. Therefore, we test our new weapon systems in the other activities that are planned independently from these exercises. This exercise is carried out to test all capabilities, personnel, materials, equipment, doctrine, and procedures at the strategic level. No specific weapon system was planned to be tested.”
After the Q&A session we visited the state-of-the art Exercise Control Center established at Naval Warfare Center Command. The exercise was carried out based on a generic scenario that was designed within the framework of the training objectives determined with the joint participation of all TNF headquarters, and this scenario was controlled and managed from the Exercise Control Center. Thanks to its technological infrastructure and communication equipment, the Exercise Control Center, where some 150 personnel were employed, was able to communicate with all of the participating units in the DENİZKURDU-2021 Exercise in real time and near-real time speeds.
The DENİZKURDU-2021 Exercise was conducted in 3 phases; Operational Readiness (on May 25-27), Free Play (held between May 28 - June 02) and Distinguished/VIP Observer Day & Harbour Visits held between June 02-05). In the Operational Readiness Phase, participating units conducted operational readiness drills including Anti-Surface Unit Warfare (ASUW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Air Warfare/Air Defense (AW/AD), Amphibious Warfare, Mine Warfare, Electronic Warfare (EW), Live Firing, Joint Training, Coastal Troops Training, Submarine Personnel Rescue Training, Maritime Control Operation, and Asymmetric Threat Training. During this Phase, Basic Naval Warfare and live firing training took place. In the Free Play (Force-on-Force Freestyle Training) Phase, crisis management training based on a four-day crisis scenario was prepared with the participation of all Forces and was carried out under the command of the Exercise Control Center of the Naval Warfare Center Command. In the last phase of the Exercise, 83 ships conducted 22 port visits in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean and within the framework of COVID-19 measures this year, the ships will not be opened for public visits.
Following the completion of the port visits, on June 5, 2021 the fleet hosted a Distinguished/VIP Observer Day in the Eastern Mediterranean that saw a gathering of officials from the Turkish MoND and the military command echelon as well as military attachées from 25 countries. Distinguished/VIP Observer Day witnessed the first ever live firing of MAM-L smart munition from a BAYRAKTAR TB2 UCAV against a live surface target (decommissioned auxiliary ship Pınar-6 [Y-116]).
Within the scope of the Sea Wolf 2021 Exercise on May 26 (with telemetry head) and May 27 (salvo firing with live warhead) the ULAQ Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle (AUSV), developed by Turkish companies Meteksan Defence and ARES Shipyard, successfully performed CIRIT Semi Active Laser Guided Missile firing tests towards a fixed target on the Devecitası Island off the cost of Antalya and all of them successfully hit the target. On May 27, 2021, directed from the Mobile Coastal Control Station (MCCS) and transferred to the firing area, the ULAQ AUSV engaged the target via on-board sensors and achieved a direct hit with two CIRIT Laser Guided Missiles while navigating at high speed. The Turkish Naval Forces Command and Coast Guard Command platforms also accompanied the firing test
