US AEGIR naval drone washes ashore on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast

A U.S. AEGIR unmanned surface vessel, developed by Sierra Nevada Corporation, was found washed ashore on Türkiye’s coast.

Civilians discovered it near Ünye and alerted local authorities, according to SavunmaSanayiST.

The incident took place on March 21 on the Black Sea coast, where the vessel had drifted ashore due to currents. Experts later identified it as the AEGIR-W model.

The discovered drone is about 10 meters long and can reach speeds of over 25 knots. It has a range of up to 900 km and a payload capacity of 300 kg, allowing it to be used for reconnaissance or strike missions.

Görseller üzerinden yapılan incelemelerde, bahsi geçen İDA’nın, AEGIR ailesinin AEGIR-W adlı üyesi olduğu görülüyor.

Yaklaşık 10 metre uzunluğundaki AEGIR-W, azami 900 kilometre menzile sahip ve 25+ knot sürate ulaşabiliyor. Otonom olarak görev icra edebilen İDA’nın faydalı yük… https://t.co/Uqdb24Z73G pic.twitter.com/jZ3DjBbdx0

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) March 21, 2026

Türkiye suggests that this maritime drone may have been used by Ukraine in operations against Russia. Due to a technical malfunction or loss of communication, the vessel likely drifted in the open sea for an extended period before being carried into Turkish territorial waters.

This is not the first time that Ukrainian unmanned devices equipped with explosives have ended up on Türkiye’s coast.

On the night of September 30, 2025, Turkish fishermen discovered a Ukrainian naval drone Magura.