"Drawing lessons from Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Iran wars, Turkey decided to accelerate modernizing of its aging legacy air defense systems and the Steel Dome forms the backbone of this effort," Serhat Süha Çubukçuoğlu told Breaking Defense. "Perhaps the greatest lesson is that air and missile defense is now a matter of ‘existence or non-existence.'"
Aselsan’s €780 million contract and delivery timeline
Turkish electronics firm Aselsan announced a €780 million ($900 million) contract to supply air defense technologies for Turkey’s Steel Dome project, according to a company statement posted on X. The announcement said delivery of components is expected between 2028 and 2032. Aselsan is named as the lead of the Steel Dome project.
The new contract follows a larger framework Aselsan struck in September 2025: a $1.9 billion deal with the Turkish Secretariat of Defence Industries (SSB). The company also received a $1.5 billion government investment last year in a Steel Dome production hub that is envisioned as the biggest air defense facility in Europe.
What Steel Dome is planned to include
Steel Dome — referred to in Turkish as Celik Kubbe — is described as a layered air defense project comparable to the U.S. Golden Dome effort and Israel’s layered systems. The program, as envisioned in the announcement and related reporting, incorporates multiple tiers of capability:
- counter-drone technologies;
- short-range defenses including the Korkut C-Ram anti-aircraft gun;
- directed-energy systems named Ejderha and the Gokberk laser;
- longer-range systems such as the Gurz 140 hybrid air defense system, Hisar short- and medium-range launchers, and the Siper long-range air defense system.
The company statement did not specify which of those systems or subsystems Aselsan will provide under the €780 million contract.
Regional interest and demand from Gulf states
Breaking Defense reported in May that, in light of recent attacks by Iran on neighboring Gulf states, Turkish defense firms are seeing increased interest from Gulf customers in short-range air defenses and counter-drone technologies. Turkish company officials told the outlet that this regional demand is shaping procurement conversations.
Çubukçuoğlu, an analyst at TRENDS Research & Advisory in Abu Dhabi, linked that interest to broader lessons drawn from recent conflicts, saying the Gulf states’ response to the Iran war has led to a redefinition of sovereignty and deterrence focused on resilience, continuity, and infrastructure protection.
How Gulf states, Turkish planners, and maritime interests are responding
Gulf states: Firms in Turkey report rising customer interest in short-range and counter-drone systems from Gulf buyers; those buyers appear to be prioritizing resilience and protection of critical infrastructure after attacks attributed to Iran.
Turkish defense planners: Ankara has accelerated modernization efforts for legacy air defenses, with Steel Dome positioned as the programmatic backbone of that effort; the state-backed production hub and prior $1.9 billion deal with the SSB underline a national industrial push.
Maritime and infrastructure stakeholders: Çubukçuoğlu said Ankara increasingly views ports, sea lanes, energy routes, and commercial corridors as part of an integrated strategic picture — a posture that has included deploying air and missile defense components and armored units on Cyprus to harden Turkey’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Unspecified components and the next questions
While the €780 million price tag and delivery schedule are now public, the Aselsan announcement did not detail which components the company will supply to Steel Dome. That omission leaves open operational and industrial questions about which subsystems will be produced, where they will be manufactured, and how integration across the layered architecture will be managed.
With deliveries slated from 2028 to 2032 and a significant production hub already funded, the most immediate factual milestones to watch are public disclosures from Aselsan and the SSB clarifying scope of work, followed by contract-level details and production timetables tied to the stated delivery window.
Original story: https://breakingdefense.com/2026/06/aselsan-lands-900m-deal-to-help-turkey-build-steel-dome-air-defense-systems/
