Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (5th L) attends a ceremony at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara, Türkiye, on Aug. 27, 2025. Türkiye on Wednesday delivered 47 domestically-developed Gokkubbe air defense vehicles worth 460 million U.S. dollars to its military at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara. The delivered vehicles are components of Türkiye's integrated Steel Dome project, launched in August 2024 as a "system of systems" combining domestic missile batteries, radars, and command-and-control centers, among others. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the handover during a ceremony, saying the move has placed Türkiye in "a different league" in air defense capabilities. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
ANKARA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye on Wednesday delivered 47 domestically-developed Gokkubbe air defense vehicles worth 460 million U.S. dollars to its military at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara.
The delivered vehicles are components of Türkiye's integrated Steel Dome project, launched in August 2024 as a "system of systems" combining domestic missile batteries, radars, and command-and-control centers, among others.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the handover during a ceremony, saying the move has placed Türkiye in "a different league" in air defense capabilities.
"No country that cannot develop its own air defense system can look to the future with confidence in the face of current challenges," he said.
During the ceremony, Erdogan also inaugurated a 1.5-billion-U.S. dollar research and development facility for Aselsan, calling it "the single largest defense industry investment" in Türkiye.
With the facility, the base "will cover 585,000 square meters of indoor space and 132,000 square meters of production area, becoming one of the region's most advanced defense technology centers," Erdogan said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a ceremony at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara, Türkiye, on Aug. 27, 2025. Türkiye on Wednesday delivered 47 domestically-developed Gokkubbe air defense vehicles worth 460 million U.S. dollars to its military at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara. The delivered vehicles are components of Türkiye's integrated Steel Dome project, launched in August 2024 as a "system of systems" combining domestic missile batteries, radars, and command-and-control centers, among others. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the handover during a ceremony, saying the move has placed Türkiye in "a different league" in air defense capabilities. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
This photo taken on Aug. 27, 2025 shows air defense vehicles displayed at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara, Türkiye. Türkiye on Wednesday delivered 47 domestically-developed Gokkubbe air defense vehicles worth 460 million U.S. dollars to its military at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara. The delivered vehicles are components of Türkiye's integrated Steel Dome project, launched in August 2024 as a "system of systems" combining domestic missile batteries, radars, and command-and-control centers, among others. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the handover during a ceremony, saying the move has placed Türkiye in "a different league" in air defense capabilities. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
This photo taken on Aug. 27, 2025 shows air defense vehicles displayed at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara, Türkiye. Türkiye on Wednesday delivered 47 domestically-developed Gokkubbe air defense vehicles worth 460 million U.S. dollars to its military at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara. The delivered vehicles are components of Türkiye's integrated Steel Dome project, launched in August 2024 as a "system of systems" combining domestic missile batteries, radars, and command-and-control centers, among others. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the handover during a ceremony, saying the move has placed Türkiye in "a different league" in air defense capabilities. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
This photo taken on Aug. 27, 2025 shows air defense vehicles displayed at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara, Türkiye. Türkiye on Wednesday delivered 47 domestically-developed Gokkubbe air defense vehicles worth 460 million U.S. dollars to its military at Turkish defense firm Aselsan's Ogulbey Technology Base near Ankara. The delivered vehicles are components of Türkiye's integrated Steel Dome project, launched in August 2024 as a "system of systems" combining domestic missile batteries, radars, and command-and-control centers, among others. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the handover during a ceremony, saying the move has placed Türkiye in "a different league" in air defense capabilities. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)