Turkish Coast Guard Completes Deniz Aslanı-2026 Search and Rescue Drill

By Bosphorus News Defense Desk

Türkiye's Coast Guard Command completed the operational phase of the Deniz Aslanı-2026 Search and Rescue Invitation Exercise in the Aegean Sea, testing maritime rescue, fire response and inter-agency coordination inside the Turkish Search and Rescue Region.

The drill was held in international waters and Turkish airspace between Lesbos, Chios, Psara, Bozbaba and Skyros, with 500 personnel taking part. Coast Guard Commander Vice Admiral Ahmet Kendir followed the exercise from the TCSG Umut vessel alongside 54 observers and media representatives, including 17 foreign observers from eight countries.

The exercise was carried out in two scenarios. In the first, a commercial vessel taking on water sent a distress call, prompting the Turkish Coast Guard Command to launch a search and rescue operation. Assets from the Land Forces Command, Naval Forces Command, Air Forces Command, Gendarmerie General Command and Coast Guard Command were deployed.

A CN-235 CASA search and rescue aircraft from the Turkish Air Force, capable of remaining airborne for eight hours, located and marked the survivors. Coast Guard helicopters dropped search and rescue kits, while rescue boats and helicopters evacuated survivors from the sea. The TCSG Güven search and rescue ship, built by Turkish engineers and commissioned in 2014, provided medical support after survivors were brought on board.

The second scenario involved a passenger vessel that issued a distress signal before reporting a fire. Coast Guard, military and gendarmerie assets were deployed again, while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Coast Guard vessel TCSG-03 also took part. TCSG Güven and TCSG-03 used water cannons to extinguish the fire before the passenger vessel was towed toward a safe port.

Kendir said the exercise aimed to improve search and rescue capabilities and raise coordination among institutions to the highest level. He said modern sea and air assets, trained personnel and participating institutions had shown speed, effectiveness and professionalism in time-sensitive rescue operations.

The exercise comes during a busy maritime security period for Türkiye, with Denizkurdu-II/2026 also underway across the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea, the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, a naval drill Bosphorus News recently detailed as a four-sea military signal. Together, the drills highlight Ankara's effort to show both military readiness and civil-maritime rescue capacity across its surrounding seas.

***Sources: TRT Haber, Türkiye Ministry of Interior and Bosphorus News reporting.