The President of Turkey officially presented the new air defense system “Steel Dome”
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially unveiled the country’s new integrated air defense system “Steel Dome”, calling it a turning point for national security and the defense industry. This is reports AP.
“These systems are a demonstration of Turkey’s strength. In the field of air defense, we are opening a new era for our country, Erdogan said during a ceremony at the production site of the Aselsan defense company in Ankara.
According to him, the final stage of the project includes 47 units of equipment with a total cost of 460 million dollars, which, as he emphasized, will “instill confidence in our allies and fear in our enemies.” At the same time, the Turkish government did not specify when exactly the system will be fully ready for operation.
“No country that cannot create its own radar and air defense systems can look to the future with confidence in the conditions of modern security challenges, especially in our region”, emphasized Erdogan.
Recall that Turkey has already tried to strengthen its air defense system by purchasing S-400 missile systems from Russia in 2019. However, the move resulted in the country’s exclusion from the US-led F-35 fighter jet program, a major blow to Ankara’s defense plans.
