Newsletters
Aselsan General Manager Ahmet Akyol outlined key elements of Türkiye's Steel Dome air defense system, including Siper, Korkut and Ejderha, during an interview at Teknofest Istanbul.
Akyol spoke with Turkish media outlet CNN Turk about the system's response to evolving threats such as drones and swarm attacks.
Akyol explained that global and regional developments have diversified threats, prompting advancements in air defense, stating, "After developments in the world and our geography, threat sets have diversified a lot. Compared to past years, in an atmosphere where ballistic missiles and aircraft are intense, now in an environment with kamikaze UAVs, drones, swarm attacks, we are striving to evolve our work with an understanding to eliminate all these new threats."
"All these works have taken shape under the name Steel Dome under the leadership of our state. We are striving to produce more elements, deliver more, and spread them across the country. At the same time, we are trying to add new capabilities," Akyol said.
He highlighted the Hisar medium-range air defense system as a core component, saying, "Our Hisar medium-range air defense system. This is normally a battery consisting of seven vehicles. Here you see one vehicle. It can detect at about 100 kilometers, neutralize medium altitude targets with missiles provided by Roketsan."
"It works integrated with the radar vehicle. It is actively used in our inventory. It is part of the Steel Dome. We produce more of these systems every year and deliver them to our heroic army," he added.
Akyol described the TURAN Communication Concept, which enables seamless interaction among defense systems, "Right next to it is the TURAN Communication Concept that makes these systems talk to each other. Now, the communication between them needs to be provided without delay, without being exposed to any cyber attack, with a resilient understanding against electronic warfare."
"Our communication system that connects all these systems to what we can call the heart, command control. Previously, we used air defense systems separately, but to prevent new-generation threats, we designed an integrated architecture. We called it Steel Dome," Akyol added.
"After the radar finds the target, we detect if it is a friend or a foe. If we need to fire, this data-link provides the connection with the missile," he noted.
The Ejderha (Dragon) system targets drones with electronic signals, Akyol said, noting, "We have conventional systems. Threats are diversifying. We developed the technology to neutralize swarm attacks with a very innovative system called Ejderha. It has components that produce very powerful electronic signals inside. It physically burns the electronic circuits inside any drone coming in front of this antenna and neutralizes it."
"This system is an innovative technology found in very few countries in the world. Its tests are finished, now we have moved to serial production. You will see it in operations soon," he noted.
Akyol also detailed Korkut's role in drone defense, stating, "The purpose of Korkut is again to neutralize swarm drones with fragmented ammunition. Korkut also has a radar. It detects and identifies drones, tracks them."
"This time it doesn't launch missiles, because the cost is high, it destroys with ammunition. This cost-effective smart ammunition developed by Aselsan engineers has hundreds of small materials inside. It spreads like a cloud in the air and when any drone hits it, it neutralizes it," he added.
"We determine where each 35mm ammunition will explode with its radar and laser. The place where it spreads becomes the meeting point with the drone. This ammunition is a product we export. Last week we introduced it globally in London. We signed export contracts," he noted.
Artificial intelligence aids decision-making in Steel Dome, according to Akyol, "In Steel Dome, our AI-based system determines which system will be used against which threat. This system presents the most effective decision to the user. Of course, the final decision is given by the human."
He emphasized SIPER as the longest-range element, "This is the longest range system in Türkiye's air defense system. It consists of 14 vehicles. It is an element of SIPER. It is currently in inventory. We delivered another element last week. We are in serial production."
"It can detect from 500-600 kilometers. The destruction range is much more effective compared to other systems. We have entered among the few countries in the world," he concluded.
4 min read
