"Modern Concept": Turkish Company Aselsan Reveals New Details of Its "Steel Dome"
General concept of the Steel Dome system project
The Turkish defense giant recently opened its facility's exhibition area to journalists so they could see some of the Steel Dome system's components.
The Steel Dome (Çelik Kubbe) is a multi-layered, combined air defense system developed by Turkish companies using national technologies. It features an integrated architecture in which Defense operate in a comprehensive manner at various ranges and altitudes. The system includes such national systems as Sungur, Korkut, Gürz SHORAD, Hisar-A, Hisar-O, missile Siper systems, Aselsan EIRS, ALP 100-G, ALP 300-G radars, and REDET, PUHU, KORAL, and VURAL electronic warfare systems. The integrated architecture creates a unified air situational awareness and improves defense effectiveness thanks to AI-based decision support systems. The HISAR air defense missile system (SAM) will form the core of the system. HISAR ("Fortress") is a family of Turkish short-, medium-, and long-range air defense missile systems developed by Aselsan and Roketsan since 2007. The SAM system includes the short-range HISAR-A, medium-range HISAR-O, and long-range HISAR-U (renamed Siper).
The HİSAR-A (Alçak İrtifa Hava Savunma Füze Sistemi) air defense system is based on the FNSS ACV-30 tracked vehicle chassis, armed with four Hisar-A short-range, vertical-launch SAM missiles supplied by Roketsan. The Hisar-A tracked system is equipped with its own mast-mounted KALKAN air defense radar and electro-optical/infrared system, allowing it to operate as an independent, standalone system without the need for a battery with a separate fire control system.
Minimum interception range: 2 km
Maximum interception range – 15 km
HİSAR-A short-range air defense missile system
In 2020, it was announced that some orders for the HİSAR-A SAM system would be replaced by the HİSAR-O, which has a slightly longer range and higher maximum engagement altitude, although the SAMs remained the same.
The HİSAR-O (Orta İrtifa Hava Savunma Füze Sistemi) air defense missile system is a medium-range air defense missile system with vertical-launch SAMs, mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Zetros chassis.
Minimum interception range: 3 km
Maximum interception range – 25 km
The detection and automatic tracking range of a fighter-type target (RCS – 2-5 sq. m) is 40-60 km.
Number of tracked targets: > 60
Number of missiles ready for launch:
- 18 (battery)
- 54 (division)
The HİSAR-U (Uzun Menzilli Hava Savunma Füze Sistemi, also known as Siper, or "trench") air defense system is a long-range air defense system being developed by National Technology Development Infrastructures. It is mounted on MAN Türkiye 8x8 trucks.
Minimum interception range: 30 km
Maximum interception range – 100 km
Representatives of Turkish aerospace giant Aselsan are gradually revealing new details about the ambitious Anakara "Steel Dome" air defense system project, showing journalists some of the completed components, as well as those still in development, during a recent tour.
As is the case with other foreign projects of various kinds of “domes”,
The idea behind the "Steel Dome" (Celik Kubbe) is to implement a "modern concept" of integrated, interconnected radar and air defense systems,
"Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol told reporters. Aselsan had been working on this concept for some time, but, according to him, it took on a completely different light due to recent conflicts in the region.
Weapons systems on display at the opening ceremony of Turkish defense giant Aselsan's new plant
From the outside, the Aselsan building is a stark black glass structure with a gray concrete façade, concealing much of the ongoing work necessary to bring the Steel Dome project to life. Two company radars are installed on the roof, monitoring the airspace around the building.
But while Aselsan has hosted media at the site before, the recent tour provided a new look at the sprawling facility, which Aselsan hopes will double its production capacity once the new buildings are completed.
During the tour, which was accompanied by the industrial noise typical of manufacturing facilities around the world, journalists saw the HISAR 100 medium-range air defense and missile defense system on display in what a company spokesperson described as the facility integration area, located next to the missile defense system at the Goksur facility.
During a bus tour of the facility, journalists viewed an open exhibition area where other completed components of the Steel Dome project, including the radar, were on display.
Company representatives told journalists that the "Steel Dome" configuration includes one large surveillance radar and command post for each battalion (division), controlling three fire units. Each fire unit has one SNR control post for three SAM launchers. They noted that each system is field-proven.
According to Aselsan representatives, the foundation of Steel Dome, which utilizes the Hakim airspace management system, the Hakim 100 radar network management system, and the Turan tactical military network, will be the T-link tactical data link, specifically developed for Turkey's air defense systems. The company representatives stated that Steel Dome utilizes a powerful artificial intelligence-based system for decision-making support.
Each element of the system is designed to contribute to the security of Turkish skies, and possibly the skies of foreign customers as well. In July, Akyol stated that the Steel Dome system could be produced jointly with foreign customers, and during a recent trip, he noted that interest in the air defense systems has only increased, especially following the Israeli strike on Hamas targets in the center of the Qatari capital, Doha.
While Steel Dome is rightfully considered one of Aselsan's largest projects, the company operates in six core areas: integrated defense systems technology, radar and electronic warfare, communications and information technology, microelectronics and electro-optics, avionics and guidance systems technology, and transportation, security, energy, and healthcare.
The tour also included a briefing on other Aselsan projects, including a brief overview of a jamming aircraft, according to a slide presentation. Projects showcased included Aselsan radars and payloads integrated into Baykar's Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a payload expected to be installed on Turkey's fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet, and the company's platforms integrated onto Turkey's Turksat 6A satellite.
Aselsan representatives also stated that the company plans to expand its presence abroad. Akyol reported that
By next year, the company plans to open a new design office in Saudi Arabia, specializing in the development of radars, electronic warfare systems, and air defense systems.
Other company representatives stated that Aselsan plans to expand its maintenance, repair, and operation centers globally to support its systems abroad. According to representatives, the company already has branches in 24 countries.
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