Turkey's Steel Dome defense system: Vast potential, tricky implementation

After years of vacillating between Chinese and US air defense systems and then purchasing two batteries of Russian-made S-400s, Turkey is finally ready to protect its skies using its own gear, but experts warn that challenges await.

The Turkish government’s Defense Industries Executive Committee unveiled “Steel Dome,” the country’s new integrated, multilayered air defense system, on Aug. 6. Chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the committee includes several cabinet ministers, the chief of the general staff and the director of the Turkish Defense Industries Agency. 

At a time when loitering munitions — also called “kamikaze drones” — first-person view drones, short-range rockets, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles are becoming a critical part of conventional as well as asymmetrical war around Turkey, including in Ukraine, Iraq, Syria and Israel-Palestine, the Turkish government wants to stay ahead of the curve in air and missile defense and eventually create affordable high-end platforms for allied countries.

But even for Turkey’s robust military-industrial complex, which has made a name for itself in recent years and exported $5.5 billion worth of goods and services in 2023 and hopes to top $7 billion this year, building a full-blown air and missile defense system will not be easy.