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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday stressed the importance of developing homegrown air defense systems, saying Türkiye must prepare for current and future security challenges.
“No country that cannot develop its own air defense system can look to the future with confidence in the face of current challenges,” Erdogan said at the groundbreaking ceremony for defense firm Aselsan in Ankara.
“Today, we are providing our heroic army with the Sky Dome systems, consisting of a total of 47 vehicles worth $460 million, that will instill confidence in friends and fear in enemies,” he said.
Erdogan emphasized that with the Steel Dome system, Türkiye will now be in “a different league” in air defense. He noted the addition of three HISAR medium-range air defense systems and 21 vehicles would further strengthen the country’s deterrence at medium range.
He said Türkiye is making its defense industry systems available to its allies while also boosting its diplomatic effectiveness.
Erdogan highlighted Aselsan’s critical role in the Steel Dome project, noting the company developed the artificial intelligence-based command and control software that will enable instant communication and integrated operation of all systems in the field.
“Thanks to this software, which will form the backbone of the Steel Dome, hundreds of air defense systems in the field will operate as a single system,” he said.
Türkiye’s Defense Industries Secretary Haluk Gorgun, who also attended the ceremony, said localization in the defense industry has reached 83 percent, with a user network in 185 countries and an annual export volume of nearly $7.5 billion.
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“The Ogulbey Technology Base, whose foundation we laid today, will be a pioneering center where future command and control systems, advanced communication networks, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence-based defense algorithms will be developed,” Gorgun said.
Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol called the groundbreaking a historic step. “We are excitedly launching a $1.5 billion investment in our new Ogulbey campus, covering 6,500 acres,” he said.
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