Türkiye’s ambitious air defence system aims to transform regional security

Türkiye has unveiled its ambitious Steel Dome air defence system in response to escalating regional conflicts and the evolving nature of aerial threats. Designed to rival Israel's renowned Iron Dome, the Steel Dome represents a significant advancement in Turkey's defence capabilities.

As Middle Eastern nations grapple with enhancing their air and missile defense systems amid escalating regional conflicts, Türkiye has unveiled plans for a cutting-edge defense network, the Steel Dome (Çelik Kubbe in Turkish), aimed at rivaling Israel's Iron Dome, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

The Steel Dome is a sophisticated, network-centric air defence system featuring advanced artificial intelligence. It is designed to safeguard Türkiye’s airspace from a wide spectrum of threats, covering everything from very low to very high altitudes and from short to long ranges. The system aims to create a comprehensive “security umbrella” over the nation, according to a statement from the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB).

Developed by Turkish defense firms Aselsan, Roketsan, SAGE, and the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), with coordination from the SSB, the Steel Dome represents a significant leap in Turkey's defense capabilities. Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol emphasized on X, “The Steel Dome, a true ‘system of systems,’ will neutralize all types of threats across various altitudes and ranges, enhancing the strength of our heroic Armed Forces.”

Unlike Israel’s Iron Dome, which is one of three tiers in its defense network—including the Arrow high-altitude system and the medium-range David’s Sling—the Steel Dome is a multi-layered architecture that integrates air and missile defense with electronic warfare capabilities. Turkish defense expert Can Kasapoglu, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, described the system as an “all-sensors best-shooter type of holistic defensive architecture,” emphasizing that it is not reliant on any single weapon system.

Kasapoglu noted that the Steel Dome’s development is driven by the increasing use of mixed strike packages, including drones and various types of missiles. “The Russo-Ukrainian War has served as a testing ground for these strike CONOPS [Concepts of Operations],” he explained.

A graphic shared by Akyol on X illustrates the components of the Steel Dome system, including the HiSAR, SiPER, and GURZ air defense systems. These are integrated through the RADNET radar link management system and controlled via the HAKiM Air Command and Control System. The graphic also indicates connectivity to satellites through the locally developed T-link.

The Steel Dome is expected to address drone threats with technologies such as the iHTAR jammer, GOHBERK laser, and ALKA jammer and laser. Aselsan had not responded to requests for additional comments by the time of publication.

This announcement arrives amidst ongoing regional conflicts, particularly between Iran and its allies versus Israel. During such conflicts, missile defense systems have proved crucial for protecting civilians and national assets. For instance, on April 13, Iran launched a salvo of 300 missiles and drones towards Israel, though the majority were intercepted by US, Israeli, and Jordanian air defenses, causing minimal damage.

While the Iron Dome has been operational for decades and has evolved to include counter-drone capabilities, the Steel Dome is still in the conceptual phase, pending testing, validation, and full deployment. If successful, it could capture the interest of Arab and Gulf nations seeking robust solutions to protect their airspace from diverse threats.