Türkiye announced on Thursday contractors began the construction of the naval air defence destroyer, TF-2000, at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command. The country had signed a $6.5 billion worth of contracts to reinforce and develop the "Steel Dome" system, a system similar to Israel's Iron Dome.
The NATO member has increased its defence industry production in an effort to reduce dependence on external suppliers in recent years.
"Construction of the first block of the first ship within the scope of the 'TF-2000 Air Defense Destroyer Project' has begun at our Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command," the Turkish Defence Industries Presidency, the country's top defence industry authority, said at its weekly press briefing.
Steel Dome is a domestically developed, multi-layered air defense system. It integrates various air defense systems operating at different altitudes into a single, networked architecture. The system includes indigenous platforms such as SUNGUR, KORKUT, GÜRZ, Hisar-A, Hisar-O, and SİPER. Its integrated architecture creates a common air picture, while AI-supported decision systems increase overall defensive effectiveness.
"Our ship, which is a part of the Steel Dome, will be built as soon as possible, and will make significant contributions to our air defence capabilities," the ministry added.