Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Ankara aims to soon possess a multi-layered air defense system called “Steel Dome”, adding that the country would also increase its long-range missile capabilities.
In a speech he delivered at a ceremony at the Turkish Aerospace Industries Company TUSAŞ headquarters in Ankara to inaugurate the locally-made Gokbay helicopter to be used by the gendarmerie forces, Erdogan compared the Dome of steel to the Iron Dome for which Israel is famous.
“We now better understand the importance of our multi-layered air defense systems for our security,” Erdogan said. “If they have an Iron Dome, we’ll have a Steel Dome. We won’t look at them and say, why don’t we do that? Don’t we have that? The Turkish president has not set a date for this.
He added: “We will also work to increase our long-range missile capabilities during this period,” and that Turkey “will not rest” until it becomes completely independent in the defense sector.
In recent years, Turkey has significantly reduced its dependence on foreign defense equipment suppliers and has become a leader in manufacturing armed drones for the global market and produces a large portion of its defense needs in his country.
Kurdish militants targeted the Tosash company in a bloody attack last week.
The United States imposed sanctions on the Turkish defense sector in December 2020, due to Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
Washington also excluded Ankara from the F-35 fighter program, of which Ankara participated in the manufacture and was a buyer.