Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that his country is aiming to build its own “Steel Dome” multilayer air defense system soon. The Turkish President has also said that Turkey will also increase its long-range missile capabilities in the near future. Earlier, Turkey had purchased the Russian S-400 defense system but could not deploy it due to fear of the USA sanctions. For the unversed, Israel has a developed air defence system named ‘The Iron Dome system’ and Turkey is trying to replicate it.
“Steel Dome” of Turkey
The Turkish President was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the indigenous Gokbey helicopter built by the gendarmerie at the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), where he compared the “Steel Dome” of Turkey to Israel’s famous “Iron Dome”.
“Now it is better understood how important our multilayer air defense system is for our security. If they (Israel) have ‘Iron Dome’, we will have ‘Steel Dome’. We will not look at them and say why we don’t have it.” Altough the President did not give any time frame for the construction of Steel Dome defence system, he compared it to Israel’s air defence system. He said, “We will also increase our long-range missile capabilities during this period.”
About Israel’s Iron Dome
Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system was built to intercept rockets fired into its territory. It became operational in 2011, and uses truck-towed units of radar-guided missiles to blow up short-range threats like rockets, mortars and drones in mid-air. It also deployed a naval version of the Iron Dome in 2017 to protect ships and sea-based assets.
The system determines whether a rocket is on course to hit a populated area; if not, the rocket is ignored and allowed to land harmlessly.
The United States imposed sanctions on Turkey’s defence industry in December 2020 over its NATO ally’s acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system. It also expelled Ankara from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme, where it was a manufacturer and buyer.
(With inputs from agencies)
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