Türkiye plans to develop its indigenous multi-layered air defence system, dubbed the
Steel Dome, authorities have announced.
A defence industry committee meeting, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Ankara has approved the "
Steel Dome Project, which we are developing locally," Vice President
Cevdet Yilmaz announced on social media platform X late Tuesday.
The program aims to integrate a network of sensors and weapons, supported by artificial intelligence (AI), Yilmaz said, calling the project a "historic decision".
"We are determined to bring our country to a much stronger position against all kinds of threats," he added.
State broadcaster TRT on Wednesday cited works on a four-layered defence system, from short to long-range, providing a real-time situational alert.
The program`s short and middle-range systems are already in military inventory, the report added.
Türkiye has long been investing heavily in the domestic defence industry. In February, Ankara unveiled its first locally-developed combat aircraft.
It has separately been testing various ranges of ballistic missiles since 2023.
