Türkiye has signed contracts worth $6.5 billion to enhance the integrated air defense system Steel Dome (Çelik Kubbe) under the country’s domestic defense industry framework.
The agreements were finalized at a ceremony hosted by HAVELSAN and attended by SSB President Haluk Görgün, Vice President Hüseyin Avşar, ASELSAN General Manager Ahmet Akyol, Roketsan General Manager Murat İkinci, as well as officials from the Turkish Armed Forces and the defense sector.
SSB said the projects to be carried out under its coordination represent an economic volume of approximately $6.5 billion. Görgün noted that decisions taken by the Defense Industry Executive Committee are being systematically translated into contracts and emphasized recent priorities on offensive capabilities and air defense systems.
Görgün said the latest agreements build on Türkiye’s existing portfolio of short-, medium- and long-range air defense assets and offensive missile systems. He praised Roketsan and ASELSAN for continuously improving and expanding capabilities that strengthen the deterrence of the Turkish Armed Forces.
He said Türkiye has reached a point where it both meets its own needs and exports its systems, adding that the country now ranks among the world’s top 10 exporters of defense products. “As we meet our air defense requirements, we are also exporting systems at different tiers and ranges,” he said.
Görgün highlighted that the Steel Dome’s architecture—its layered air defense structure—is supported entirely by nationally developed software and hardware. He said Türkiye now possesses the ability to produce all subsystems and integrate them into a unified network, while simultaneously advancing the production of offensive systems.
He credited Türkiye’s progress over the past two decades to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s confidence in defense companies and young engineers. “We have built a self-sustaining ecosystem,” he said. “We share what we produce with friendly and allied nations, and we are now among the top 10 defense exporters. What we have achieved is meaningful, but there is much more ahead.”
ASELSAN General Manager Ahmet Akyol said the contracts represent strategic milestones for Türkiye. “We signed agreements that will allow the high-volume production of our air defense systems. This is a strategic day for our country,” he said.
Roketsan General Manager Murat İkinci said the agreements will significantly boost the strategic strength of the Turkish Armed Forces. “From space systems to air defense, anti-armor and other strategic platforms, we signed serial production contracts for a wide range of projects,” he said.
SSB Vice President Hüseyin Avşar described the programs as critical for Türkiye’s national security and thanked all institutions involved. “These projects will make substantial contributions to our country’s defense and the deterrence of our Armed Forces,” he said.
About Steel Dome
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.
The Steel Dome project was approved during the Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) meeting on 6 August 2024. According to the Presidency of Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications, the system aims to integrate sensor and weapon systems in a network-centric manner, create a shared air picture, and feed this data into AI-enabled decision support systems.
The project is being executed in collaboration with ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, TÜBİTAK SAGE, and the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE).
On 27 August 2025, ASELSAN delivered the multi-layered national air defense system Steel Dome to the Turkish Armed Forces. The delivery included a total of 47 vehicles encompassing the SUNGUR, KORKUT, GÜRZ, Hisar-A, Hisar-O, and SİPER systems, officially entering service with Türkiye’s military.
