President Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that Turkey plans to build its own “Steel Dome” multi-layered air defence system soon and stated that Ankara intends to increase its long-range missile capabilities.
NATO member Turkey has reduced its dependence on external suppliers of defense equipment. It has become a leading manufacturer of armed drones for the global market, producing much of its defence needs at home.
Reuters reported- Steel Dome” is similar to Israel’s famed “Iron Dome,” speaking during a ceremony in Ankara to launch the home-made Gokbey helicopter for use by the gendarmerie at the headquarters of the Turkish Aerospace Industries that was targeted last week in a deadly attack by Kurdish militants.
“It is understood much better now how vitally important our multi-layered air defence systems are for our security. If they (Israel) have an ‘Iron Dome’, we will have a ‘Steel Dome’. We won’t look at them and say ‘why don’t we have this,'” Erdogan said, without giving a specific timeline. He added that they are also working towards increasing their long-range missile capabilities during this period and that Turkey would “not rest” until it achieves a fully independent defence system.