Turkiye unveils $1.5 billion ‘steel dome’ air defence system to rival Israel, US shields

Amid Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ and the USA’s ambitious ‘Golden Dome’, Turkiye has introduced its own air shield, called ‘Steel Dome’, unveiled by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 27, according to reports.

The Turkish president reportedly attended the “Steel Dome Deliveries – Facility Openings and Oğulbey Groundbreaking Ceremony” held at ASELSAN’s Gölbaşı Campus.

ASELSAN is the Turkish defence corporation with its headquarters in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

At the ceremony, Steel Dome’s components, including 47 vehicles worth $460 million, were officially handed over to Turkish Forces, according to Defence Turk.

The president also announced 14 new ASELAN facilities with an investment of $1.5 billion.

Notably, the air shields have been in the headlines in recent times after the world saw Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ in action during its ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Deployed in the 2010s, the Iron Dome has thwarted thousands of rocket and missile attacks, including those launched by Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel claims a success rate of over 90%.

Following the suit, US President Donald Trump in May announced a $175 billion missile defence system dubbed the ‘Golden Dome’, appointing US Space Force General Michael Guetlein to lead the ‘Manhattan Project-scale’ initiative. 

Trump revealed that the project would be completed within three years and would protect the entire continental United States, including Canada, from aerial threats, a news agency reported.

The ambitious system is designed to create a comprehensive network of satellites capable of detecting, tracking, and intercepting incoming missiles. Trump touted that the system would be “capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced the launch of ‘Mission Sudarshan Chakra’ on India’s Independence Day to develop an indigenous air defence system, which may have equated to the Iron Dome.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)