ITALIAN FINANCIAL POLICE ARRIVES IN TÜRKIYE FOR UNMANNED MARITIME VEHICLES

A delegation from the Italian Financial Police Guardia di Finanza visited Türkiye to examine unmanned maritime vehicle solutions developed to provide continuous maritime surveillance in ports, coastal areas, and regions with heavy maritime traffic. The RAFNAR boats, developed in collaboration between HAVELSAN and VN Maritime and made fully autonomous and remotely controllable through the integration of advanced mission software, are gaining increasing international attention. During the activities organized as part of the visit, the unmanned maritime vehicle was remotely controlled to demonstrate its operational capabilities, and HAVELSAN’s expertise in the field of unmanned maritime vehicles was shared with the delegation.

The Guardia di Finanza is evaluating unmanned solutions to enhance personnel safety in risky and long-term missions, reduce direct human exposure, and conduct maritime surveillance in a sustainable manner. In this context, the goal is for unmanned maritime vehicles to carry out patrol, surveillance, and inspection activities at lower operating costs, increase operational efficiency, and contribute to the effective monitoring of marine pollution and environmental violations.

The ability of these systems to work with existing monitoring, communication, and decision support infrastructure enables technological transformation to progress in a phased and measurable manner. Fully autonomous RAFNAR bots are positioned as a solution that, rather than replacing human elements, complements them, strengthens institutional capacity, and offers potential for international cooperation, proving effective in the long term.