"Mavi Balina" exercise: 12 countries and 4,500 personnel in the Eastern Mediterranean

With the participation of 12 countries and more than 4,500 personnel, the "Mavi Balina" (Blue Whale) exercise has begun in the Eastern Mediterranean, running from 9 to 20 November under the coordination of the Aksaz Naval Base Command.

Taking part in the exercise are the Turkish Naval Forces Command and the Coast Guard Command, along with NATO's Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2), which includes Turkey, Spain and Greece, as well as US and Pakistani units. Indonesia, Morocco, Iraq, Mozambique, Mauritania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Oman are participating as observers.

Speaking on the press and observers day, Commander of the Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu said that construction of the submarine "Atılay", the first of six submarines in the national submarine project "MİLDEN", is continuing at the Gölcük shipyard.

He added that the fleet comprises 14 submarines, including two training submarines, and that the submarine "Murat Reis" will enter service during this month while construction of three other submarines of the same class continues.

He noted that work is continuing to bring the national heavy torpedo "Akya" into service. Work is also under way on the submarine-launched "Atmaca" missiles and on the national mine "Malaman".

The Undersea Operations Command, which was established last year, took an active part in the exercise, which featured a demonstration of the detection of undersea threats and anti-submarine defense, and national technologies drew the interest of the participants.