Erdogan: Türkiye to unveil its own air defense systems

Turkish 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 Ankara.

“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.

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.”