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Turkish defense contractor Aselsan announced significant progress in its Steel Dome air defense system deployment while unveiling new electromagnetic warfare capabilities at the 17th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2025), with CEO Ahmet Akyol reporting doubled production targets for 2025.
Speaking to Turkish media on Saturday at the defense exhibition held at Istanbul Fair Center, Akyol confirmed partial Steel Dome deliveries are currently operational and outlined ambitious expansion plans for the multi-layered air defense architecture.
Akyol provided the first detailed update on Steel Dome's operational status, confirming active deployment of initial system components.
"We have delivered part of the Steel Dome. These are actively in use. We want to increase these numbers. This year we will deliver twice as many products compared to last year," Akyol stated.
The Aselsan chief emphasized the system's evolving nature, explaining the ongoing development of new capabilities for integration into the comprehensive defense framework.
"We are developing systems that will add new capabilities to the system. We are striving to operate in an integrated manner. It is an ongoing work. It is a job that needs to be constantly up-to-date and we are doing this. We are trying to spread it to more locations," he said.
Akyol detailed Steel Dome's sophisticated architectural approach, describing it as a multi-layered, hybrid system designed to counter evolving aerial threats.
"We handled Steel Dome as a multi-layered, hybrid architecture. It has a physical layer, an electromagnetic layer and a cognitive layer," he explained.
The executive noted the emergence of new drone threats requiring innovative countermeasures beyond traditional defense methods, leading to the development of specialized electromagnetic systems.
Aselsan introduced the EJDERHA (Dragon) electromagnetic weapon system as Steel Dome's newest component, designed specifically to counter swarm and kamikaze drone attacks.
"We have developed our EJDERHA weapon against these threats. We brought the EJDERHA System, which is the weapon for eliminating new types of aircraft with a new understanding, to the international arena for the first time here," Akyol announced.
The system utilizes high-power electronic wave technology to disable unmanned aerial vehicles within approximately one kilometer range by physically disabling internal electronic circuits.
Akyol highlighted Aselsan's exceptional financial and operational performance, with the company becoming Türkiye's most valuable corporation on Türkiye's stock exchange, Borsa Istanbul.
"Last year, we started the Aselsan NEXT program. Last year, we made export contracts worth over $1 billion, and we made deliveries exceeding $500 million. Our performance has been continuing for six quarters. Our company value, which was $7 billion-$8 billion compared to last year, exceeded $20 billion on Borsa Istanbul. It is in the position of Türkiye's most valuable company by far. We are one of the 10 industrial companies in Europe. We are in the top 20 in the world," he stated.
The company currently employs 12,500 people and maintains active products in 93 countries, with over 2 million products currently in operational use.
Aselsan also signed protocols with the Presidency of Defense Industries for the development of ALP 200-A Airborne Early Warning Radar and ALP 400-G V/UHF Radar System projects during IDEF 2025.
"Today, Türkiye has procured aircraft. We have taken the step of nationalizing their radars and then giving them to the Turkish army with the vision of manned and unmanned AEW aircraft. It will come into service in a 5-6 year period," Akyol explained.
The radar systems will enable Turkish forces to achieve greater surveillance ranges and capabilities compared to ground-based systems, with airborne platforms providing coverage of areas invisible to terrestrial radars.
The company introduced multiple new systems as Steel Dome components, including GURZ Unmanned Air Defense System, TURAN tactical communication system, and GOKTAN precision strike platform.
GURZ features artificial intelligence capabilities and can deploy to designated locations through remote control or autonomous operation, providing short-range air defense against various aerial threats up to 8 8-kilometer range.
TURAN serves as Steel Dome's digital backbone, providing integrated communication across all system components with indigenous encryption capabilities. Aselsan described the system as enabling "military 5G" connectivity for coordinated operations.
The company also unveiled KORAL 200, an enhanced version of its electronic warfare system designed to neutralize enemy air defense systems and create operational corridors for Turkish aircraft and unmanned systems.
"Compared to the existing KORAL, its power has increased approximately 2 times," Akyol noted, emphasizing the system's capability to provide strategic superiority against threat signals while ensuring air superiority during assault operations.
Akyol announced the completion of comprehensive indigenization efforts for naval weapons and sensors, with Aselsan developing 50 different systems for naval vessels.
"In the field of Naval Forces, we have succeeded in nationalizing all the weapons and sensors on our ships. Now we are trying to add new functions," he stated.
The company introduced the GOKSUR Air Defense System for naval applications and the DenizGoZ 300 underwater platform for Blue Homeland maritime security operations, designed for mine detection and underwater fiber optic cable surveillance.
Aselsan's growing international recognition was highlighted through its selection as one of five companies chosen by NATO to help define Europe's airspace architecture.
"Aselsan will also take part in Europe's security architecture. Aselsan became one of the five companies that determine Europe's airspace architecture. Aselsan was chosen for this by NATO. We can say that Türkiye's competence is now recognized. This is felt even more in Eastern Europe," Akyol stated.
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The CEO reported significant cost savings through artificial intelligence implementation across its processes, achieving $25 million in savings while accelerating technological advancement.
"We saved 25 million with the artificial intelligence we applied in our processes. We have prepared the opportunities where our young people can realize their dreams and we are actively implementing them," Akyol concluded.
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