Turkey sees nascent ‘Steel Dome’ as deterrent, export money maker

ANKARA — Turkish defense-electronics company Aselsan has detailed its integrated air-defense suite “Steel Dome,” describing it as a multi-layered, multi-domain system that combines kinetic and non-kinetic effectors with advanced decision-support algorithms.

The company presented the concept during an international press day held at its Gölbaşı facility in Ankara.

Aselsan positions Steel Dome as a response to evolving threat environments that include small drones, maneuverable ballistic trajectories and increasingly diverse sensor networks. The concept emphasizes a “smart layers” methodology that integrates soft-kill techniques, electronic jamming, directed energy and kinetic measures to engage targets according to operational requirements.

At the core of Steel Dome is a command-and-control layer built around Aselsan’s HAKİM airspace management system, which integrates radars, communication systems, intelligence feeds. The software uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to produce a single, fused air picture for engagement decisions.

HAKİM was developed in accordance with NATO command-and-control standards. It is intended to support the systems currently used by the Turkish Air Force.

Developer Aselsan is part of an alliance effort to design components for a ground-based air defense system on a modular basis. Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Thales, and Raytheon are also part of that project.

The Steel Dome Project was approved at the Defence Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) meeting held on Aug. 6, 2024. Almost 50 elements of the system entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces on Aug. 27, 2025, with a total value exceeding $460 million.

An additional procurement agreement for air-defense systems was signed between Aselsan and the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), valued at €1.65 billion ($1.92 billion). Deliveries are scheduled between 2027 and 2031.

Cem Devrim Yaylali is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News. He is a keen photographer of military ships and has a passion for writing about naval and defense issues. He was born in Paris, France, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married with one son.

安卡拉——土耳其国防电子公司阿塞尔桑详细介绍了其集成式防空系统“钢铁穹顶”，称其为多层、多域系统，结合了动能和非动能效应器以及先进的决策支持算法。

该公司在位于安卡拉的 Gölbaşı 工厂举办的国际媒体日上展示了这一概念。

阿塞尔桑公司将“钢铁穹顶”定位为应对不断演变的威胁环境（包括小型无人机、机动弹道和日益多样化的传感器网络）的方案。该方案强调“智能分层”方法，整合了软杀伤技术、电子干扰、定向能和动能打击等手段，以根据作战需求打击目标。

“钢铁穹顶”系统的核心是基于阿塞尔桑公司HAKİM空域管理系统构建的指挥控制层，该系统集成了雷达、通信系统和情报信息。该软件利用人工智能和机器学习技术，生成单一的融合空域图，用于作战决策。

HAKİM系统是按照北约指挥控制标准开发的，旨在为土耳其空军目前使用的系统提供支持。

开发商阿塞尔桑公司参与了一个联盟项目，旨在以模块化方式设计地面防空系统的组件。空客、洛克希德·马丁、泰雷兹和雷神公司也参与了该项目。

钢铁穹顶项目于 2024 年 8 月 6 日在国防工业执行委员会 (SSİK) 会议上获得批准。该系统的近 50 个组件于 2025 年 8 月 27 日进入土耳其武装部队的库存，总价值超过 4.6 亿美元。

阿塞尔桑公司与国防工业局（SSB）签署了一份价值16.5亿欧元（19.2亿美元）的防空系统采购协议。交付计划于2027年至2031年间进行。

杰姆·德夫里姆·亚伊拉利是《防务新闻》驻土耳其记者。他热衷于拍摄军舰，并对海军和国防议题充满热情。他出生于法国巴黎，现居土耳其伊斯坦布尔。他已婚，育有一子。