The First National Weapon System to Be Used on REİS-Class Submarines Will Be the MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mine!
The MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mines will first be deployed on the Type 214TN REİS-Class Submarines. This is primarily because the ISUS-90/72-based Combat Management System (CMS) and 533mm torpedo tubes on REİS-Class submarines were designed from the construction stage to have the capabilities necessary for carrying and deploying naval mines. During the Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) phase of the TCG Pirireis (S-330) Submarine—the first submarine of the REİS-Class, commissioned in a formal ceremony on August 24, 2024—two MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mines were loaded into and removed from one of the torpedo tubes as a trial to verify their fit. Following this assessment, it was determined that each torpedo tube could accommodate three MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mines. A new loading and unloading test is planned based on this finding. Of the eight torpedo tubes on the REİS-Class Submarines, four were manufactured with the capability to carry and deploy naval mines such as the MALAMAN. Additionally, MALAMAN mines can be deployed from the TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar LST ships in the TNFC inventory. It is also anticipated that the ability to carry and deploy MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mines will be integrated into PREVEZE and GÜR-Class Submarines in the future.
The MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mine and its Electronic Module—developed under the MALAMAN Project initiated with a contract signed in December 2018 for the development of GRP-Cased National Bottom Mines—were created in collaboration between KoçSavunma, MKE, and TÜBİTAK SAGE. The electronic module, which acts as the "brain" of the mine, is also capable of acoustic intelligence, collecting and analyzing acoustic signatures in the waters where it is deployed for intelligence purposes. After approximately 1.5 years of qualification tests, including planned detonation trials, the system successfully completed the process. As of August 2024, it has become a proven, shelf-ready product.
In the MALAMAN Project:
KoçSavunma is responsible for the design of MALAMAN, the design of its GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) composite outer casing, and the production of the electronic decision-making block, which includes smart sensors (MALAMAN Electronic Module and Smart Mine Firing Mechanism).
MKE is tasked with preparing and filling the insensitive explosive in the warhead at the DUPAT facilities using specialized equipment. Consequently, MKE will deliver fully assembled MALAMAN units to the customer following the filling of the warhead.
TÜBİTAK SAGE is responsible for developing the PBXN-111 type insensitive explosive.
Under the MALAMAN Project, the first detonation test was conducted on land in December 2022, while the second and third detonation tests were carried out at sea in the first half of 2024. As a reminder, the initial phase of the MALAMAN Project concluded with the validation of the Smart Mine Firing Mechanism, developed and produced by KoçSavunma. During the second phase, a consortium led by KoçSavunma, in collaboration with TÜBİTAK SAGE and MKE, completed the design of the composite body and insensitive munitions. Subsequently, by December 2022, the Critical Design Phase was finalized, and the first full-scale mine was produced and detonated in a full-scale firing chain test conducted at Konya Karapınar. In February 2024, the second full-scale detonation test of the MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mine was successfully conducted at sea, during which the underwater effectiveness of the MALAMAN warhead detonated at a specific depth was observed. In the third full-scale detonation test, conducted in the first half of 2024, another full-sized MALAMAN mine was detonated at a specified depth to assess its impact on a surface combat ship. A decommissioned ship provided by the Turkish Naval Forces Command was used for the test, and the ship, sustaining severe damage from the explosion, sank afterward.
The MALAMAN Smart Bottom Mine, a fully domestic and nationally designed high-tech product, will provide the Turkish Naval Forces with a significantly enhanced capability to perform sea control operations within Türkiye’s maritime jurisdiction and areas of interest. Equipped with the Electronic Module and Smart Mine Firing Mechanism developed by KoçSavunma, the MALAMAN detects and classifies vessels in target categories and detonates its warhead at the optimal point to break the target ship's keel to ensure its sinking. When the insensitive explosive, designed by TÜBİTAK SAGE, detonates, it first generates a blast effect underwater. This is followed by the creation of a bubble (cavity) effect, a massive dual-layer air bubble that expands and rises to the surface. As this bubble surfaces, it lifts the ship from the middle, creates a cavity underneath, and causes the ship’s keel to fracture under its own weight. This sequence results in the vessel breaking apart and sinking
