Türkiye sets sights on nuclear submarines, admiral confirms historic goal PHOTO

Türkiye has reached the final stage in the development of small nuclear reactors, a project that began in 2010. This progress, along with advances at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, has brought the goal of constructing a nuclear-powered submarine into focus.

According to Turkish media, the company EUAS International began work on a portable nuclear reactor many years ago, per Caliber.Az.

Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, shared the latest status of the research, stating: "For the past 139 years, our national goal has been to create a fully independent submarine that meets all our operational needs under our own control."

Tatlıoğlu emphasised that developing nuclear submarines would mark a critical milestone for Türkiye’s strategic defence: "We will take a significant step toward building nuclear submarines to strengthen long-term deterrence and establish ourselves as a mid-tier global power."

The commander identified the objective as reducing external dependence by designing and building a submarine that fully meets Türkiye’s national operational requirements.

It is expected that the future submarine platform will be equipped with the indigenous MIDLAS vertical launch system, developed by Turkish defence company Roketsan for submarine deployment.

By Tamilla Hasanova