Turkey’s defense industry is advancing its Steel Dome layered air defense network, with its integrated long-range system entering serial production, successfully completing battery-level acceptance tests, and being integrated into the national Steel Dome architecture.
Why It Matters
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed Turkey’s rapid military advancement and push to develop homegrown defense capabilities. With its domestically developed Steel Dome air defense system appearing to be moving faster than the United States’ still-conceptual Golden Dome, the systems serve different purposes as Turkey’s is focused on territorial air and missile defense, while the U.S. concept is intended to protect both the homeland and forward-deployed forces abroad.
What To Know
Turkey’s major defense firm Aseslan announced earlier this week that its SİPER‑1 long-range air defense system successfully completed battery-level acceptance tests, marking another step in serial production and integration into the Steel Dome layered network.
The first fully autonomous battery-level firing test of SİPER‑1 took place at Sinop near the central Black Sea coast in November. The system, designed to engage aerial targets such as fighter jets and cruise missiles, forms the long-range layer of the dome.
Presidency of Defense Industries head Haluk Gorgun said the systems, developed with national resources and entering mass production, are being added to the inventory one by one to strengthen the Turkish Armed Forces.
“With each delivery, we further enhance the field deterrence of Steel Dome,” he was quoted as saying by Turkiye Today outlet on Sunday.
Erdogan inaugurated the Steel Dome in August, a year after the first plans were announced.
President Donald Trump unveiled initial plans for the “state-of-the-art” Golden Dome in May, saying it would defend against next-generation threats—including ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles—by the end of his term.
What People Are Saying
Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries Haluk Gorgun wrote on X Saturday: “Deliveries continue uninterrupted…Another Siper System Added to Inventory! The serial production process of our long-range regional air defense system SİPER-1, which continues without slowing down, has successfully completed the firing test activity for autonomous battery acceptance.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in August during the Steel Dome inauguration ceremony: “No country that fails to develop its own radar, air defense system, and electronic warfare capability can look to the future with confidence.”
What Happens Next
The new dome will play a central role in defending fixed sites such as military bases, airports, and energy infrastructure, with a mobile capability allowing it to be deployed wherever needed.