Türkiye’s ‘Steel Dome’ air defense system built from domestically produced components

By Firdevs Bulut Kartal and Emir Yildirim

Türkiye’s multi-layered “Steel Dome” air defense system is built entirely from domestically produced platforms and an integrated design strategy, employing synchronized operations and artificial intelligence (AI) to support decision-making processes.

Haluk Gorgun, the head of Türkiye’s Defense Industries Secretariat (SSB), said the Steel Dome was developed to detect and counter threats from long range to close range, employing a layered defense while maintaining unified control. He was speaking at an event organized by the SAHA Istanbul defense cluster.

Gorgun said the system integrates range-layer components including Siper, Hisar A+ and O+, Korkut and Sungur systems which operate under a single command-and-control architecture that integrates radars, electro-optical sensors, signal jammers and laser systems in a comprehensive structure.

The command-and-control architecture of the Steel Dome is powered by AI, allowing for the most appropriate intervention scenarios to be developed and communicated with relevant units.

“The AI support to the decision-making mechanism plays a key role in speed and accuracy, alongside human decisions,” he said.

“If we had purchased instead of produced these systems that make up the Steel Dome, this level of interoperability would have been a massive engineering problem.”

Gorgun added that the SSB is also developing a sensor fusion concept designed for a sixth-generation combat environment, enabling manned and unmanned platforms to operate seamlessly together. Among those platforms will be the Kizilelma, Anka-3, Hurjet and Kaan unmanned aerial vehicles.

He noted that more than half of Türkiye’s defense industry exports are destined for NATO and EU countries and that a dedicated directorate has been established within the secretariat to manage NATO-Türkiye defense relations.