Meteksan introduces MilSAS High-Resolution Synthetic Aperture Sonar

Meteksan's MilSAS sonar, unveiled at the Saha Expo 2026 exhibition in Istanbul. (Devrim Yaylali)

Turkish defence company Meteksan Defence unveiled its MilSAS Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) system at the Saha Expo 2026 exhibition held in Istanbul from 5-9 May.

MilSAS is a SAS system intended to combine successive sonar echoes collected along the motion path of the host platform. This approach is designed to generate higher along-track resolution compared to conventional side-scan sonars. It is intended for high-resolution imaging of seafloor features and underwater objects, for use in mine countermeasures (MCM) operations, seabed mapping, and underwater infrastructure inspection, according to the company.

To support accurate synthetic aperture processing, MilSAS incorporates an Inertial Navigation System (INS) for motion measurement and compensation during operation. Using a database of underwater imagery, MilSAS can revisit an area repeatedly and look for even small changes, for example in objects on or around seabed structures, according to Meteksan.

MiLSAS has an image resolution of less than 4 cm and a maximum one-sided range of up to 300 m. The system is designed to operate at platform speeds of between 2 and 8 kt and can be integrated with towed sonar bodies or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), said Meteksan.

The system has a scanning capability of approximately 600 m2 per second, with a nominal power consumption of 145 W and an operating depth of up to 600 m, according to the company.

Gülin Şahinöz, Meteksan Defence's director of naval systems product management told Janes