Turkey is set to begin mass production of its first unmanned surface ship, the ULAQ, according to the Defense Post news site.

The USV, developed by ARES Shipyard and Meteksan Defense, can travel up to 400 kilometers at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour and has night vision capabilities and encrypted communications for reconnaissance.

The core of the Turkish drone fleet is TB-2 Bayraktar, developed by a firm owned by Haluk Bayraktar, whose brother is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, Turkey's military industry has grown from $ 1 billion to $ 11 billion a year, including $ 3 billion in exports.

The first live-fire test of ULAQ took place last month, firing two laser-guided missiles off the coast of Antalya, Defense Post reported, noting that the vessel is equipped with four laser-guided Cirit missiles and two long-range laser-guided missiles.

ULAQ can participate in joint operations with additional forces such as combat and tactical UAVs.