One of Türkiye's pioneering defense tech companies on Tuesday unveiled the nation's first indigenous beyond-the-horizon submarine defense sonar system. The system is part of efforts to employ entirely domestic technology to further expand the navy's competence in underwater detection capabilities.
The Low-Frequency Active Sonar System (DÜFAS), developed under the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) in line with the needs of the Naval Forces Command, enables the detection and location of threats such as submarines and torpedoes over long distances, ensuring critical underwater situational awareness.
With its adjustable depth, active and passive sonar capabilities, and superior technology, DÜFAS enhances the strength of the Turkish navy in the Blue Homeland, according to Aselsan.
The Blue Homeland is a doctrine that encompasses Türkiye's maritime jurisdictions in the Black, Mediterranean and Aegean seas, as well as its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in line with United Nations resolutions.
The company says DÜFAS is the first and only towed active sonar system that emits acoustic signals through its active sonar components, designed and produced domestically.
By collecting reflections of the emitted signal from targets using passive sonar, the system constructs a tactical underwater picture, facilitating the detection and tracking of underwater threats with long-range and high accuracy.
DÜFAS is notable for its sonar performance modeling capability and stands out with its architecture suitable for bistatic/multistatic operation. According to Aselsan, with its technical features, enemy submarines cease to pose a threat to the Turkish navy.
The system not only detects threats like submarines but also identifies threats such as torpedoes by listening to ambient noises in passive sonar mode. DÜFAS also activates countermeasure equipment to eliminate risks when it detects a torpedo threat.
Haluk Görgün, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries, said the system was a gift to the Turkish nation on the 109th anniversary of the Çanakkale naval victory.
"DÜFAS, an important product of Aselsan engineering, was developed to detect threats underwater. With its 360-degree omnidirectional scanning capability, DÜFAS can effectively detect submarines and torpedoes, thus enhancing the strength of our glorious navy," Görgün wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
