ASELSAN delivers Steel Dome for Türkiye

In response to current operational requirements, the Steel Dome system was developed, combining network-centric airspace control, artificial intelligence, and layered air defence within a single architecture. The system is designed to protect against threats ranging from low-flying unmanned aircraft to long-range ballistic missiles.

Steel Dome diagram with effectors’ range / Copyright: ASELSAN

Steel Dome is a multilayered air-defence system developed domestically in Turkey. It uses a network-centric architecture supported by artificial intelligence. Steel Dome was created to protect Turkish airspace through a single integrated solution. The project was developed in cooperation with several key Turkish defence companies. ASELSAN served as the project lead, main technology provider, and system integrator. ROKETSAN and TÜBİTAK SAGE also participated in the program.

Steel Dome belongs to a new generation of air-defence systems in which sensors, command-and-control and fire-control systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and effectors operate as a single synchronised structure. ASELSAN has provided the key capabilities that allow Steel Dome to function as a unified defensive ecosystem. The system is now being deployed nationwide, with its individual components gradually entering service.

Steel Dome is based on three closely integrated pillars. The first consists of threat-detection sensors, the second of command-and-control and fire-control systems, and the third of communications and electronic warfare capabilities. All three are provided by ASELSAN.

Steel Dome system elements – early warning radars ALP, AESA radars and launchers of SIPER system and HISAR system launchers / Copyright: Grzegorz Sobczak

Steel Dome is based on three closely integrated pillars. The first consists of threat-detection sensors, the second of command-and-control and fire-control systems, and the third of communications and electronic warfare capabilities. All three are provided by ASELSAN.

The primary task of Steel Dome is integration of all radars, electronic warfare sensors, and air-defence effectors within a single network. This function relies on an encrypted and resilient network using military communications systems. This provides real-time or near-real-time communications. The network connecting all sensors and effectors is resistant to hostile electronic warfare activity that could disrupt its operation. It also provides interoperability between the elements connected to the overall system. Its primary function is to generate and distribute a real-time air picture while ensuring fully integrated operation of all sensors and weapon systems.

Elements of DRONEDEF system / Copyright: ASELSAN

One of the most important elements of Steel Dome is ASELSAN’s AI-supported HAKİM command-and-control and fire-control system. It integrates sensors and weapon systems within a single operational environment. HAKİM performs real-time data fusion, rapid threat assessment, and coordinated engagement across multiple layers of defence. Its AI-supported architecture enables faster decision-making while creating a highly integrated and adaptive air-defence network capable of responding to increasingly complex aerial threats.

The system’s sensors include early-warning radars, infrared search and track (IRST) systems, and ASELSAN electronic support systems, providing continuous situational awareness and long-range target detection. A key role is played by ASELSAN’s ALP radar family, which offers detection ranges of up to 650 km and significantly enhances long-range surveillance, early-warning, and threat-identification capabilities. Combined with electro-optical and passive capabilities, the sensor systems create a real-time air picture that forms the basis for system operations and enables appropriate decision-making.

Elements of KORKUT system which is a part of Steel Dome / Copyright: Grzegorz Sobczak

In terms of effectors, Steel Dome combines ASELSAN air-defence solutions with complementary capabilities supplied by other Turkish manufacturers, providing multilayered protection against aerial threats. The Steel Dome configuration includes, among other systems, counter-drone solutions such as İHTAR and the ŞAHİN family, the KORKUT system, the medium-range HİSAR air-defence system, and the long-range SİPER system.

This structure is complemented by DRONEDEF, an integral part of Steel Dome and ASELSAN’s integrated counter-UAS system. It combines detection, electronic warfare, directed-energy weapons, and kinetic effectors under a unified command system. In addition to detection and non-kinetic neutralisation capabilities, DRONEDEF includes the GÖKBERK directed-energy weapon, GÖKALP autonomous interceptor drones, and the EJDERHA AD high-power electromagnetic pulse system, designed to counter increasingly advanced unmanned aircraft operating both individually and in swarms. Configured as a coordinated layered system, DRONEDEF allows operators to apply the most effective response appropriate to the threat at each stage of an engagement, while preserving higher-tier air-defence resources and capabilities for more demanding threats.

Electrooptical system EOS and KALKAN radar of HISAR system / Copyright: Grzegorz Sobczak

As ASELSAN representatives emphasise, Steel Dome is more than the integration of air-defence systems. They regard it as the realisation of a new operational philosophy in which sensors, communications, command-and-control systems, electronic warfare, and effectors function as an ecosystem undergoing continuous AI-supported development. Steel Dome was designed as a scalable and modular system of systems integrating active and passive radars, electro-optical systems, and electronic warfare assets into a unified decision-making framework. Its open architecture enables seamless data fusion, simultaneous threat detection, and coordinated target engagement. It combines kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities within a single fire-control process. Steel Dome’s architecture has been designed to allow continuous modernisation, development, and integration of new technologies and capabilities in order to remain effective against emerging threats.

In August 2025, ASELSAN delivered 47 key Steel Dome components to the Turkish Armed Forces. Since then, the company has steadily expanded production capacity to accelerate nationwide deployment of the Steel Dome system. Additional implementation contracts are being signed on a continuing basis. These include a 1.47 billion EUR agreement with the Presidency of Defence Industries for continued serial production of air-defence systems, as well as a further 780 million EUR contract aimed at introducing new capabilities into Steel Dome. The pace of Steel Dome production is best illustrated by a statement from ASELSAN President and CEO Ahmet Akyol, who said that the company plans to increase Steel Dome deliveries by 50%, with more than 150 different system components expected to be delivered in 2026.

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