Türkiye's homegrown submarine to reach new depths with domestic steel

OYAK General Manager Murat Yalcintas stated on Wednesday that Türkiye's indigenous MILDEN submarine project will utilize domestically produced HY-100 military-grade steel to achieve dive depths far exceeding standard operational limits. Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of TEKNOFEST Southeast in Sanliurfa, Yalcintas noted that global suppliers typically restrict exports of such high-performance alloys, necessitating domestic production to reach true deep-submergence capabilities. "The HY-100 is a highly durable steel with unique properties, allowing a submarine to dive to depths far deeper than the norm, and it's not possible to import a steel of this caliber produced at the highest quality," he said, adding that the submarines will now reach required depths using locally manufactured material.

Dual-use defense applications

Yalcintas stated that the industrial group is channeling investment strategies toward dual-use technologies serving both military and commercial sectors, with current high-performance armored and structural steel already deployed across homegrown flagship defense platforms including the Altay main battle tank and naval warships. He noted that these advanced steel alloys extend beyond combat applications into heavy civilian equipment ranging from mining machinery to electric vehicle manufacturing, representing a significant value-addition to domestically extracted iron ore processed at local facilities.

Global production expansion

The OYAK chief announced that the firm's Romanian plant will undergo upgrades to produce ultra-thin electrical steel sheets measuring just 0.1 millimeters, utilizing high-grade material refined at the Isdemir plant's new vacuum treatment facility in Türkiye. "Türkiye will become one of the five to six countries capable of producing steel of this grade, quality, and thinness," Yalcintas said. He added that the company is simultaneously investing in autonomous land vehicles designed for heavy logistics, agricultural tasks, and tactical defense operations.

TEKNOFEST Southeast opened Wednesday in Sanliurfa province, drawing thousands of technology enthusiasts and investors through October 14.