Co-Light Underwater Lighting System Delivered to the Navy Through STM-BAU Collaboration

STM, one of the leading organizations of the Turkish defense industry, has achieved a significant success together with Bahçeşehir University within the scope of university-industry collaboration activities.

Within the scope of the collaboration activities ongoing since 2012 between Bahçeşehir University, its R&D organization BAUMIND and STM, deliveries of the Co-Light Underwater Lighting System, one of the systems produced with the consultancy and domain expertise provided by the company, have been completed. Three Co-Light Underwater Lighting Systems were put into service of the General Directorate of Shipyards with a delivery ceremony held at the Gölcük Shipyard Command. The Underwater Lighting System will be used at the Shipyard and Maintenance Repair Commands affiliated with the General Directorate of Shipyards.

Enabling More Detailed Underwater Inspection

The Co-Light Underwater Lighting System will enable the relevant Shipyard and Maintenance Repair Commands to carry out more detailed underwater inspections through diver teams, minimizing the dry-docking required for the hull surveys (inspection of the submerged part of the ship) of warships. With the Co-Light System, which will enable hull surveys, underwater welding and repair activities to be carried out by divers while ships are in port, clearer and more detailed images can be obtained underwater. Co-Light will also be used in underwater photography. Within the framework of the collaboration between Bahçeşehir University and STM, underwater and surface optical communication systems had also been developed with the consultancy and domain expertise provided, and these products had been licensed to STM. Among these products, the Surface Optical Communication System was exported abroad within the framework of an ongoing project under STM's prime contractorship. In addition, patent support was obtained for all these systems through contracts signed with TÜBİTAK.

Innovative and National Projects

STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz said that, while continuing design and modernization activities for naval platforms in Türkiye and abroad, they are also carrying out innovative and national projects within the scope of university-industry collaboration. Stating that they developed underwater and surface optical communication systems as a result of the R&D work carried out with Bahçeşehir University, Güleryüz said: "Within this scope, we created our product family consisting of the Underwater Optical Diver Communication System, the Surface Optical Communication System and the Underwater Lighting System (CoLight). Optical Communication Systems provide communication that cannot be detected, intercepted or jammed underwater between divers/SAT teams and between divers/SAT teams and submarines, and on the surface between surface vessels. Our Surface Optical Communication System was exported abroad within the framework of an ongoing project under STM's prime contractorship. Co-Light, three units of which we have delivered to our Navy, enables hull surveys, underwater welding and repair activities to be carried out by divers in port without the need for dry-docking ships."