Newsletters
Turkish defense giant Aselsan unveiled six new systems at SAHA 2026 designed to expand the capabilities of Türkiye's Steel Dome (Celik Kubbe) multilayered air defense architecture, covering electronic warfare, laser weapons, high-power microwave anti-swarm technology, and autonomous drone interception.
The Defense Industries Secretariat simultaneously announced contracts for two new ballistic missile defense systems, SIPER-A and SIPER-4.
The six newly unveiled systems are:
The launch ceremony was attended by Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Defense Industries Secretariat (SSB) head Haluk Gorgun and Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol.
Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol described Koral AD as a ground-based mobile radar electronic warfare system that houses both electronic support and electronic attack subsystems on a single platform.
The system detects and identifies enemy air and ground radar threats at ranges of hundreds of kilometers, reduces their coverage areas and conducts deception or jamming attacks at defined intervals.
"Koral can operate at ranges of hundreds of kilometers, making it one of a very limited number of products in the world capable of this," Akyol said, confirming the system had entered production.
Ilgar provides electromagnetic spectrum dominance through reactive jamming against frequency-hopping signals, signal direction-finding and location, and electronic attack while on the move.
It is designed to block, delay, or corrupt communications from adversary systems in the V/UHF and SHF frequency bands, providing a tactical advantage to friendly forces.
Akyol said both Ilgar and Koral AD are "ready for serial production for the first time" and form the electronic warfare layer of Steel Dome, differentiating them from comparable systems worldwide.
Ejderha 210 uses high-power electromagnetic-wave technology to neutralize mini and micro UAVs attacking in swarms.
The upgraded 210 version has doubled its range compared to its predecessor, added a radar, enhanced electro-optical systems, and improved intervention effectiveness, making it a fully autonomous, standalone system.
"Next year, it will enter the Turkish Armed Forces inventory; it is what we call a game-changer in the world," Akyol said.
Serial production is already underway.
Gokberk 10 is a directed-energy air defense weapon system designed for close-area protection of land platforms, energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and military headquarters. Its 10-kilowatt laser source destroys targets while onboard electro-optics and sensors allow 24-hour continuous operation.
Primary target sets include fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAVs as well as improvised explosive devices. Akyol said the system had been "successfully applied in scenarios involving urban centers, factories, facilities and military bases where collateral damage must be avoided" and was "counting down to entering inventory."
Gokalp is an autonomous kinetic drone-destruction system that intercepts FPV and kamikaze drones via a detect-identify-track chain, using low-cost industrial components.
Akyol described it as effective against Shahed-class kamikaze UAVs, saying it can "intercept an incoming kamikaze drone mid-air and destroy it through direct kinetic impact, doing so automatically like an air defense system."
Gokalp can also deploy Skydagger munitions.
It is expected to enter inventory next year.
Migfer is a self-defense FPV interception system mounted on a 4x4 armored vehicle, making its SAHA 2026 debut as a hard-kill platform designed for mini and micro UAV threats against armored vehicles, including tanks, 4x4 and 6x6 platforms.
Akyol said it could intercept FPV drones "optically, automatically, at very short range, hunting them like birds."
Separately, Gorgun announced that contracts for Siper-A and Siper-4, two new members of the Siper long-range air defense missile family specifically designed to counter ballistic missiles, had been signed between the Defense Industries Secretariat, Aselsan and Roketsan.
Siper-A is intended as the atmospheric terminal defense layer operating at high altitudes within the atmosphere, featuring an AESA RF seeker and quick-reaction capability against short and medium-range ballistic missiles.
Siper-4 is designed for upper-layer coverage aimed at longer-range ballistic missiles, with an expected operational envelope extending toward extreme altitudes and potentially exo-atmospheric intercepts.
Akyol said Steel Dome now includes five distinct physical destruction technologies in its drone interception layer, alongside soft-kill capability, with high-volume serial-production infrastructure established simultaneously for all systems.
"Steel Dome is a continuing journey. We are striving to produce more, to gain new capabilities. It is not finished work; threats continue, and the world is changing," he said.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
