Middle East missiles, large contracts and space ambitions: 2025 review
There was no shortage of news in the Middle East in 2025.
There was no shortage of news in the Middle East in 2025.
The Turkish defense giant recently opened up more of its sprawling facility for journalists to get a look at some Steel Dome components.
During a visit by Breaking Defense to Aselsan facilities in late August, the company displayed 47 vehicle-based air defense systems that had been formally delivered to the Turkish armed forces.
Breaking Defense visited what's expected to be the center of Turkey's sprawling Steel Dome national air defense effort.
"There is a huge demand, but main purpose is to make something together — co-production, co-design, co-investment," Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol told Breaking Defense of the international market.
“We want to maximize our technological independence, ensuring that Türkiye both generates technology and becomes a leading country in the manufacturing and export of high-tech products,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said of the new investment.
"So in Turkey, this is in progress. Every year we are delivering new systems of the Steel Dome concept, and it will be beneficial for our region," Ahmet Akyol, president and CEO of Turkish electronics giant Aselsan, told Breaking Defense here in Abu Dhabi.
Steel Dome is a network-centric air defense system equipped with artificial intelligence features and is expected to protect Turkey’s entire airspace against all ranges of threats, the government said.