Turkey to be Covered by Steel Dome
Testing of the long-range air defense system Siper. Photo Aselsan
The Turkish Armed Forces are developing an integrated air defense system called Çelik Kubbe. It will include anti-aircraft missile, artillery and laser complexes of several types, created by the Turkish industry or purchased abroad. In addition, an in-house control system is being created that will combine all the required components.
Defense Integration
The idea of creating an integrated system Defense for the Turkish Armed Forces appeared several years ago. It was proposed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council TÜBİTAK SAGE, as well as military equipment manufacturers Aselsan and Roketsan. The new system received the working title Çelik Kubbe (Steel Dome).
In August 2024, this proposal was approved by the highest military-political leadership of Turkey. After that, TÜBİTAK SAGE and related organizations began to work out detailed plans. They had to determine the final composition of the Steel Dome, its organizational and staffing structure, the required volume of purchases, etc.
The program in its current form provides for the purchase of a number of different systems and complexes. Some of them already exist and are being mass-produced. Others are at the development and testing stage, which is why they require the appropriate support of the military department.
Hisar-O SAM system undergoing tests. Photo by Roketsan
It will take several more years to create the key components of the future Çelik Kubbe system. In particular, the Turkish industry will have to develop an integrated control system. Only after its creation will the armed forces be able to move from deploying individual systems to creating a unified air defense system.
The timeframe for completing all of these works remains unknown. Judging by the published plans and schedules, the Çelik Kubbe system will acquire the desired form and begin operating by the end of the current decade. However, difficulties, postponements, and shifts in deadlines to the right cannot be ruled out.
Structure and components
The goal of the Çelik Kubbe project is to create an integrated territorial air defense system covering all air borders and regions of Turkey. Such a system will have to fight all relevant targets, from small UAVs to full-fledged aviation and other air attack weapons. The systems' components will be able to hit targets at ranges of up to 150-180 km.
Self-propelled complex Korkut. Photo Aselsan
The main component of the Steel Dome system will be an original communications and control system. It will include various means of collecting and processing data, HERİKKS control points and user terminals. The system will have to unite all radars, anti-aircraft systems and the corresponding headquarters. It will process incoming data, distribute targets and control the fire of the assigned SAM and ZAK.
According to the current plan, eight types of anti-aircraft systems will operate under the control of such a system. All of them will participate in the creation of a single radar field and the detection of air targets. They will also have to work on targets in their areas of responsibility.
The long-range interception echelon will be built on the basis of the Siper air defense missile system. The first serial version of such a complex, Siper Block 1, has a launch range of at least 100 km. In the Block 2 modification, the range will increase by one and a half times, and in the future Block 3 project, this parameter is expected to be increased to 180 km. The interception altitude will increase from 20 km for the basic modification to 30 km for future versions.
The short-range defense means will be two modifications of the Hisar SAM. The Hisar-O complex should intercept targets at ranges of at least 25 km. The Hisar-A version has a launch range limited to 15 km. In the future, they are planning to create the Hisar-RF SAM with a range of at least 40 km. The altitude in all cases is 10-15 km.
Promising ZAK Gürz. Photo Aselsan
The authors of the Çelik Kubbe plan paid great attention to the defense of the near zone and the fight against unmanned aerial vehicles and high-precision weapons. weaponsFive of the eight expected anti-aircraft systems will operate in this link.
The Korkut, Gürz and Şahin anti-aircraft artillery systems, equipped with guns of different calibers, will fight air targets within a radius of several kilometers. A specialized electronic warfare system, İhtar, and a combat laser, Gökberk, are also being created. These systems will be able to suppress or destroy unmanned targets.
Project progress
The Celik Kubbe system is planned to use various anti-aircraft and other systems. Some of them have already been adopted by the Turkish army, while others are still at various stages of development. Because of this, the creation of an integrated air defense system will take many years and will be completed only in the medium term.
According to available information, the control system for Çelik Kubbe is still in the development stage. This process has been going on for several years and may be showing some progress. However, the completion date for the work cannot be announced yet.
40-mm artillery system Şahin. Aselsan Photos
The first version of the Siper long-range air defense system was accepted into service in 2024, and now serial equipment is being supplied to air defense units. At the same time, the development of the next two modifications continues, which should reach serial production by the end of the decade. Only after this, the Steel Dome will be able to attack targets at ranges of 150-180 km.
The short-range Hisar-A and Hisar-O systems passed the necessary tests at the turn of the decade and entered service in 2021. The next Hisar-RF with an increased range currently exists only as a prototype. It will enter service by the end of the twenties.
The 35-mm Korkut ZAK entered service back in 2016. At the same time, an order for 40 systems was placed, which was successfully completed in the early twenties. Other close-in systems have not yet left the testing grounds. However, their developers give a positive forecast and promise to complete the work in the near future.
SAMP/T launcher. Photo Eurosam
Vremennye reshenia
It is easy to see that Turkey cannot fulfill all its plans in the near future and build the Çelik Kubbe system in the desired form. In this regard, temporary solutions are proposed in the form of certain SAM systems, which should cover part of the needs of the Turkish army.
For example, it was previously reported that Turkey is interested in the French SAMP/T air defense system. With the help of such systems, they are going to organize a long-range interception echelon - up to 150 km. In addition, it is claimed that these air defense systems will improve the integration of Turkey's air defense and NATO.
However, Paris is turning Ankara down for political reasons. According to available information, the Turkish leadership is trying to negotiate. The latest attempts at negotiations took place at the recent summit in The Hague and, apparently, were again unsuccessful.
It should be recalled that the longest-range system in the Turkish air defense system is the Russian S-400. At the moment, four divisions of such SAM systems, purchased in the late 400s, are on combat duty. In all respects, the S-XNUMX surpasses all existing or planned SAM systems of the Turkish army.
Delivery of Russian S-400s to Turkey, 2019. Photo by the Turkish Ministry of Defense
Currently, Russian systems are taking on the most difficult part of air defense, while other SAM systems are given less important tasks. This state of affairs will continue for some time. How the situation will develop in the future is still unknown.
According to available information, Türkiye does not intend to include the S-400 in the new Çelik Kubbe system. This is prevented by incompatibility at the level of basic standards and the inexpediency of reworking the SAM or control systems. How incompatible models will be used will become clear later.
The Great Perestroika
Thus, the Turkish military has conceived and is implementing a major program to restructure air defense. The integrated Çelik Kubbe system is going to include a number of existing models, as well as several new ones.
The Steel Dome is expected to significantly improve the capabilities of the Turkish air defense system and help it combat all current threats. However, the construction of such a system is highly complex, which may negatively affect the timing and results. Time will tell whether all plans will be completed within a reasonable time frame.
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