Unveiling Crucial Elements for Turkey's 'Steel Dome' Project by Aselsan Revealed
The International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025, held in Istanbul, has seen the Turkish firm Aselsan showcase new systems designed for integration into Turkey's Steel Dome multi-layered air defense system.
The Steel Dome, a multi-layered, AI-driven air defense system, is designed to detect and neutralize aerial threats at maximum distances through a comprehensive, integrated defense network. It unifies several existing missile and defense systems under a single command-and-control architecture powered by artificial intelligence that provides a common air picture and real-time threat response coordination.
New Systems for Steel Dome
At IDEF 2025, Aselsan unveiled several new systems intended for integration into the Steel Dome air defense system.
Ejderha System
The Ejderha system is an electromagnetic air defense system designed to physically disable electronic circuits of aerial vehicles, such as swarm and kamikaze drones, within approximately a kilometer using high-power electromagnetic waves. This new system serves as an electromagnetic shield for Steel Dome.
Upgraded Koral Electronic Warfare System
Aselsan also presented the new version of its Koral electronic warfare system. This upgraded version is designed to enhance the jamming and scrambling of enemy radar signals, effectively doubling performance over previous versions. This improvement facilitates safer operations for friendly aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles within contested airspace.
Turan System
The Turan system is an AI-powered architecture that interconnects and manages all elements within the multi-layer air defense system as a single network, optimizing coordination and situational awareness.
Gürz Autonomous Missile Defense
Finally, Aselsan revealed the Gürz autonomous missile defense system, an unmanned ground vehicle system equipped with missile defense capabilities to provide autonomous protection within the layered defense network.
These newly unveiled components highlight Aselsan’s emphasis on integrating electromagnetic and electronic warfare, AI network management, and autonomous unmanned systems into the Steel Dome architecture, thus enhancing the system’s capability to counter contemporary aerial threats more effectively.
IDEF 2025 and the Steel Dome System
IDEF 2025, in its 17th edition, began on Tuesday in Istanbul. The event has Anadolu as its global communications partner. Aselsan's CEO, Ahmet Akyol, introduced the Ejderha system, an air defense system designed to neutralize swarm and kamikaze drones, during the fair.
The Steel Dome multi-layered air defense system is being showcased at IDEF 2025, demonstrating the system's readiness for deployment and its potential to augment and modernize Turkey’s air defense capabilities.
In addition, Akyol announced a new version of the electronic warfare system Koral, which will have around twofold performance and is designed to jam and scramble radar of hostile targets. This announcement further underscores Aselsan's commitment to advancing Turkey's defense capabilities.
The maritime component of Steel Dome, the TF-2000 air defense destroyer, features indigenous systems such as the ÇAFRAD dual-band AESA radar and a 96-cell MIDLAS vertical launch system capable of engaging a wide range of air and missile threats.
Aselsan's efforts for Turkey's Steel Dome air defense system have enabled the company to work on NATO's air defense architecture, demonstrating the global relevance and potential of Turkish defense technologies.
At IDEF 2025, Aselsan showcased the new Ejderha system, an electromagnetic air defense system that serves as an electromagnetic shield for the Steel Dome air defense system to physically disable electronic circuits of aerial vehicles.
Aselsan also introduced the upgraded Koral electronic warfare system at the fair, designed to enhance the jamming and scrambling of enemy radar signals, doubling its performance over previous versions to provide safer operations for friendly aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles within contested airspace.
