Inside ASELSAN’s Steel Dome and the DRONEDEF layer in Turkey

+

Add us to your favourites in Google.

Why add us? Get the latest from Military Zone directly in your Google feed.

Why integrated, layered air defence matters

The pace of change in integrated, layered air-defence systems continues unabated. Unlike earlier decades, these capabilities can no longer be treated as stand-alone assets; they must operate as connected elements inside a wider ecosystem, able to respond efficiently and effectively to airborne threats acting at the tactical, operational and strategic levels across contested operational environments.

ASELSAN’s Steel Dome: multi-domain, multi-layer air defence with AI

One notable programme is being driven in Turkey by the domestic firm ASELSAN. According to company representatives, during Military Zone’s visit to ASELSAN’s system-integration facilities in Ankara, the company’s Steel Dome air-defence system is conceived as a multi-domain, multi-layer, multi-sensor and multi-effector answer that incorporates artificial-intelligence technologies against a spectrum of threats ranging from drones to aircraft and ballistic missiles, among others.

The operational experience gained in Syria provided ASELSAN and the Turkish Armed Forces with an early indication of just how decisive drones and other unmanned systems would become on the battlefield-an impact later seen at full scale in the Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and then with stark clarity in the Russia–Ukraine war.

From ASELSAN’s perspective, air-defence systems that function in isolation-without fast, robust links to command-and-control centres and with limited ability to detect, process, classify and defeat threats-become easy targets when faced with aerial vehicles of all kinds.

This is far from a minor issue. In efficiency terms, the fact that an air-defence system worth millions-and sometimes hundreds or thousands of millions-of dollars can be eliminated by one or more drones costing only a few thousand dollars clearly illustrates how the battlefield has evolved, and how armed forces must adapt, develop and respond if they are to avoid being destroyed.

That same point directly affects the cost and sustainability equation. Today, militaries are pursuing capabilities that are not only effective, but also cost-efficient-systems that can be fielded in large numbers, whenever and wherever required, supported by substantial stockpiles and production capacity to sustain supply to units deployed on operations.

Drawing on these lessons in the development and assessment of its defensive systems, ASELSAN stated that one of the most important conclusions is the need to select the most economical and most appropriate effector to counter each specific threat. Achieving that demands detection, tracking, processing, analysis, classification and engagement capabilities that can deliver results in ever shorter timeframes.

A further conclusion-applied directly to Steel Dome-is the requirement for high processing capacity enabled by AI techniques and technologies, process automation and operator decision-support. The intent is to accelerate human decision-making by leveraging a constant flow of data and redundancy in real-time information feeds from multiple sources.

DRONEDEF in Steel Dome: the first and last defensive layer

During the visit to ASELSAN’s facilities in and around Ankara, Military Zone was introduced to what constitutes Steel Dome’s first and last layer of defence: a set of capabilities focused on defeating aerial threats such as FPV drones, loitering munitions, drone swarms and low-cost aircraft.

Within this initial Steel Dome layer, ASELSAN combines a broad suite of soft-kill tools-microwave systems, directed-energy solutions and electronic jamming-alongside traditional hard-kill means based on short-range and very-short-range air-defence systems, including multiple KORKUT variants and other lower-calibre systems.

As part of the visit, we were able to see several of these soft-kill solutions up close and observe a demonstration at the company’s Technological Test Centre in Gölbaşı, where the systems were displayed.

In particular, alongside its static display, we watched the İHTAR counter-drone system operating. With a range exceeding 25 kilometres, it has a dual role: detecting and identifying UAVs and swarms, and then neutralising them. To do so, it uses a combination of AESA sensors and electro-optical systems for tracking threats via television imagery or thermal viewers.

Among directed-energy systems (commonly referred to as “laser systems”), the GÖKBERK stood out. It was shown both as a mobile configuration mounted on a 6×6 lorry carrying a 5 kW laser-providing short- and very-short-range neutralisation at distances between 150 metres and 2 kilometres-and as a higher-power variant designated GÖKBERK 10, equipped with a 10 kW laser.

Complementing these soft-kill options was EJDERHA, built around an electromagnetic-wave emitter designed to destroy drones’ electronic systems and integrated circuits, enabling neutralisation either individually or in swarm configurations.

Looking at the hard-kill solutions on display, another highlight was GÖKALP. This system uses a hit-to-kill approach, deploying and launching a physical effector to defeat drones at ranges starting from 1,000 metres for the Class 1 version, and extending to 7,000 metres for the Class 2 and Class 3 variants-positioning it as a low-cost solution that augments the preceding systems.

It is also worth noting that DRONEDEF includes solutions based on cannons and other compact weapons. One example is MİĞFER, whose primary role is to protect the air-defence systems themselves, since-like the assets they defend-they can be targeted by drones and other threats.

MİĞFER is based on light 12 mm weaponry and is intended to complement higher-calibre, higher-power air-defence solutions such as the well-known KORKUT in 25 mm and 35 mm. It is designed for straightforward installation and integration on fixed weapon stations or mounted on armoured and utility vehicles, as required.

Conclusions

This first encounter with DRONEDEF offered further evidence of the sophistication achieved by Turkey’s defence industry in general, and ASELSAN in particular. The Turkish firm is clearly aware of how rapidly threats are evolving, and of the need for continuous adaptation.

To that end, ASELSAN has been making significant investments not only in infrastructure-expanding its facilities in Ankara-but also in ongoing workforce development and the adoption of AI technologies, aiming to meet customer requirements efficiently and effectively on the basis of operational experience.

For this reason, while DRONEDEF was presented as the first defensive layer, in our assessment it also stands as Steel Dome’s first and last line of defence.

As the Russia–Ukraine war has shown, drones are no longer launched from hundreds of kilometres away. They are increasingly deployed from much shorter distances, and even from within the belligerents’ own territory. A useful example is Operation Spiderweb, conducted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which moved disguised civilian lorries deep into Russian territory; their trailers contained FPV drone launch systems that struck bases of the Russian Aerospace Forces, with particular emphasis on strategic aviation aircraft.

These precedents underscore why systems such as ASELSAN’s DRONEDEF are becoming essential for operating in contested environments that may be penetrated through diverse means-from the disguised lorries used in Operation Spiderweb to special-operations forces deploying unmanned capabilities to attack and disable critical air-defence systems, as seen in Israeli strikes against Iranian anti-aircraft systems months ago.

Finally, in ASELSAN’s and Turkey’s case, it is important to bear in mind that the country is surrounded by active conflicts and potentially volatile situations that could demand the employment of the Turkish Armed Forces. To the north of the Anatolian peninsula lies the Russia–Ukraine war, with no clear end in sight; to the east are long-standing tensions with Armenia, which recently fought a war with Azerbaijan-a country with which Turkey maintains deep geographical, historical, cultural and linguistic ties; to the south-east, even after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Syria remains a focal point; while to the west, complex Greek–Turkish relations persist, with particular emphasis on the Cyprus issue. The confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran should also be noted, along with any spill-over effects it could generate for Turkey despite it not sharing borders with the latter two states.

Military Zone would like to extend special thanks to the staff of *ASELSAN*.

---