Video: Is Turkey Feeling Unsafe With US Air Defense?

Türkiye has launched the Steel Dome (Çelik Kubbe) programme, marking a major shift from reliance on US Patriot batteries to a fully indigenous, AI-enabled air defense system. Finalized in August 2024 under President Erdoğan, the multi-layered network secures Turkish airspace with four tiers: Korkut guns and Gökberk lasers for drones and shells, Hisar-A and Hisar-O RF missiles for short- and medium-range threats, and the long-range SİPER interceptor reaching up to 180 km.

Unified under ASELSAN’s HERİKKS command system and RADNET radar network, the project is backed by over $2 billion, with production led by ASELSAN, Roketsan, and MKE at Europe’s largest integrated air defense hub near Ankara. Türkiye targets nationwide coverage by 2028, signaling its break from NATO dependence and asserting full control of its skies amid rising regional tensions.