President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday hailed a milestone for Turkey as its “Steel Dome” air defense system was delivered to the military, saying regional conflicts had pushed Ankara to boost its defense capabilities.
“Today we are providing our army with the Dome system, consisting of 47 vehicles worth $460 million, which will inspire confidence in friends and fear in enemies,” Erdoğan said at a ceremony a year after the project was launched.
“This system will make a world of difference for Turkey’s air defense. This is a turning point for Turkey,” he said at the headquarters of Turkish defense contractor ASELSAN, which led the project together with other state-owned firms.
Turkey, a NATO member, unveiled the Steel Dome in August 2024 as part of a plan to build a multi-layered air defense system to protect its airspace, modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome. Unlike Israel’s version, Turkey’s is designed to counter a wider range of threats, including drones, cruise missiles and aircraft.
Turkey has been unsettled by unrest in the region, including Israel’s military involvement in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the 12-day air war between Iran and Israel in June.
“Recent conflicts around us have revealed the importance of radar systems detecting incoming threats from the air,” Erdoğan said.
“Unless a country can develop its own radar and air defense system, it cannot look to its future with confidence in the face of current security challenges, especially in our region,” he added. “With the Steel Dome, we will now be in a different class in terms of air defense.”
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, who also attended, said the system would “further increase the deterrence and effectiveness of our armed forces and ensure our security at the highest level.”
Erdoğan used the occasion to also inaugurate work on a $1.5 billion technology base, which he called “the largest defense industry investment ever made in a single instance in the history of the republic.”
“This will also be the largest integrated air defense facility in Europe,” he said, adding that the first section of the complex is expected to be operational by mid-2026.
“This investment is going to make Turkey not just a regional player but a global player when it comes to defense systems.”