President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unveiled the new product called Çelik Kubbe (Steel Dome) during a ceremony held at ASELSAN’s Gölbaşı facilities on August 26, 2025. The event also included the opening of 14 ASELSAN production facilities and the groundbreaking of the Oğulbey Technology Base.
Erdoğan reminded that ASELSAN, Turkey’s leading defense electronics manufacturer, has been operating for 50 years and has taken enormous strides in advancing Turkey’s defense technological infrastructure.
He emphasized that Turkey’s air defense capabilities have been significantly enhanced with the delivery of a system comprising 47 vehicles valued at $460 million, marking an important milestone for national security.
ASELSAN’s indigenous air defense systems such as HİSAR, KORKUT, and the SİPER long-range missile defense system represent a shift towards integrated, multi-layered defense with advanced radar and AI-supported capabilities. Çelik Kubbe is a new step in this integration.
The president remarked on the contribution of 14 new production facilities, created with $280 million worth of investment, boosting ASELSAN’s production capacity and employing around 4,000 skilled workers.
He also announced the groundbreaking of the Oğulbey Technology Base, one of Europe’s largest defense production and R&D campuses, covering 6500 decares, expected to double ASELSAN’s production by mid-2026.
President Erdoğan underlined the importance of developing high-tech domestic products for safeguarding national independence and economic strength. He praised the Turkish defense industry for increasing exports rapidly, nearing $20 billion in export value in the coming years.
Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün added that the deliveries worth $460 million signify Turkey’s rising deterrence capacity. All defense systems produced meet NATO standards and are fully Turkish-made.
The new production facilities will raise ASELSAN’s capacity by 40% and employ 4,000 workers, while the Oğulbey Technology Base will employ around 8,000 people, with an investment of $1.5 billion.
The achievement highlights Turkey’s comprehensive approach to strengthen its defense sector technologically and economically, reinforcing the country’s sovereignty and global standing.
