Erdoğan hails Steel Dome project as 'turning point'

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed Türkiye’s Steel Dome air defense project as a milestone for national defense during a ceremony at Turkish defense firm Aselsan’s new technology hub in the capital Ankara's Gölbaşı district on Aug. 27.

“We are witnessing a new phase of a nation's independence,” Erdoğan said at the groundbreaking of the Oğulbey technology base, which consolidates Aselsan’s production of the Steel Dome multi-layered air defense and radar systems into a single facility.

Launched in August 2024, the Steel Dome project began field deployment this year and integrates domestically produced weapon systems, radars, electro-optical products, communication modules and command stations.

Erdoğan said the system includes 47 vehicles and aims to “instill confidence in friends and fear in enemies.” He added, “Despite all obstacles, we have made significant progress in a very short time… Today's deliveries are the most concrete proof that our struggle was not in vain.”

Highlighting regional security challenges, Erdoğan said, “No country that cannot develop its own radar and air defense systems can face its future with confidence. The fine line between being at the table and being on the menu is air defense and attack systems.”

He described the project as the largest single-use defense investment in the history of the country and a “critical threshold” for the sector.

“With the Steel Dome, we will now reach another level in air defense,” Erdoğan said, calling the first deliveries a “turning point.”

Key components include the Korkut anti-aircraft gun for low-altitude threats and the Hisar systems, developed with rocket producer Roketsan, which provide low and medium-altitude protection against aircraft, cruise missiles, drones and helicopters.

The Siper air defense system, a collaboration between Aselsan, Roketsan and the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Institution (TÜBİTAK), is designed to defend critical facilities, military units and cities from high-altitude and long-range threats including fighter jets, ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

During last month’s International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul, Aselsan unveiled additional systems for integration into the Steel Dome project.

The firm introduced the Ejderha system, which uses high-power electromagnetic waves to neutralize swarming and kamikaze drones, and an upgraded Koral electronic warfare system capable of jamming hostile radar at roughly double the performance of its predecessor.

Aselsan also highlighted Turan, an AI-powered system that will interconnect the multi-layered air defense network's elements, and the autonomous missile defense system Gürz, which will operate as an unmanned ground vehicle.

The new Göktan system will combine missile and guided munition technology, allowing launches from the ground to reach specified altitudes rather than relying on aircraft deployment.

The ceremony also marked the opening of additional new production facilities.