JAKARTA - Turkish defense manufacturer Roketsan positions the Alka laser weapon system as a key component of the Turkish layered air defense architecture, as militaries around the world race to counter increasingly sophisticated drone threats.
The Weapon and Integration Directorate at Roketsan Koray Dayanç said Alka will serve as a laser layer of "Steel Dome," providing the last line of defense against drone threats that evade other air defense assets.
Turkey, a NATO member, which in recent years has significantly increased its defense industry production and reduced its dependence on external suppliers, first announced plans to build the Steel Dome in July 2024.
This architecture is the culmination of years of investment that have helped Turkey transform from a country heavily reliant on foreign equipment to one where domestically produced systems meet almost all of its defense industry needs.
The project is designed to integrate various air defense capabilities, including missile systems, radars, electronic warfare assets, and directed energy weapons, into an integrated network.
The goal is to provide integrated protection against threats at low, medium, and high altitudes through land-based and sea-based air defense platforms and sensors developed domestically.
Dayanç said that efforts to develop a directed energy weapon system began in 2018-2019, with the Alka system starting production and delivery after winning a competition organized by the Presidential Defense Industry (SSB).
This system was developed to protect important facilities in the country and help protect operational units from the threat of kamikaze drones.
Since then, the system has undergone significant improvements in line with the development of drone technology.
"We increased the system power from 2.5 kilowatts to more than 10 kilowatts," said Dayanç, as reported by Daily Sabah and Anadolu (1/7).
He noted that the threat of drones has become faster and more sophisticated over time, evolving from conventional radio control systems to cable variants that are resistant to electronic interference.
"The speed and type of drone threats are also increasing over time, switching from electronic radio control units to wired types with resistance to soft-kill interference," he explained.
According to Dayanç, Alka has evolved in line with threats and is now capable of conducting soft-kill and hard-kill operations. Soft-kill actions disrupt or disable targets electronically, while hard-kill systems destroy them physically.
Dayanç said a 10-kilowatt version of the system is already operational, although development continues as new drone threats emerge.
"We are updating our radars to reduce detection and identification times and we are working on switching to newer radar technology to detect more targets," he said.
Roketsan has also integrated artificial intelligence into the Alka system and its command and control architecture to reduce response times during large-scale drone attacks, helping operators identify and prioritize targets more quickly.
"We are taking steps to reduce the detection time and duration of priority, as well as the time required by operators," he explained.
"We continue to make improvements based on feedback provided in the field," added Dayanç.
He said the Alka laser system is intended to protect critical infrastructure, military bases, and mobile units from drone threats that can penetrate other layers of air defense systems.
Directed energy weapons are increasingly drawing global attention as militaries seek more cost-effective ways to counter the increasing use of drones.
Dayanç said efforts were underway around the world to develop similar systems and capabilities.
"Based on the feedback we received about Alka and our operational experience, we continue to move forward to address the future needs of the Turkish Armed Forces," he said.
"We are positioning Alka to serve as the laser component of the Steel Dome system to ultimately carry out the role of destroying difficult targets," he said.
He added that efforts to increase the capacity of the laser weapon energy are underway.
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