Electromagnetic Shields That Can Disable Drones Will Be Integrated Into The Steel Dome Defense System

President Erdogan at the handover of the Steel Dome defense system on August 27. (Twitter/@AhmetAkyol)

JAKARTA - Turkey's defense industry company, Aselsan, launched a new system developed to integrate into Turkey's Steel Dome-coated air defense system, which was first launched on display at the International Defense Industry Exhibition (IDEF 2025) in Istanbul last July.

Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol said the company had developed a new electromagnetic product, introducing the Ejderha system an air defense system to neutralize air vehicles such as drone swarms and kamikazes.

"We are showing the Steel Dome electromagnetic shield for the first time on the international stage," he said, quoted from the Daily Sabah September 1.

"This is a technology that can physically disable the electronic circuit of an aerial vehicle when it enters a certain distance of about one kilometer," he added.

Akyol further said Ejderha, using high-power electronic waves and will act as an important shield. While a new version of the Troal's electronic warfare system will disrupt and destabilize enemy target radars, "opening some kind of highway for our unmanned aircraft and aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fight the air defense system now with a performance of about twice as much as existing corals."

He stressed that the Turan system, which will work with Steel Dome, is an AI-powered architecture that allows all elements in the air system to be interconnected and managed from one network, while the Görz autonomous missile defense system will be implemented as unmanned land vehicles.

He explained that the new Göktan air defense technology will combine missile systems with guided ammunition technology, which will allow its launch from land to a certain altitude, instead of being dropped from the plane.

He added that Aselsan's efforts to Steel Dome T\"urkiye allowed the company to develop NATO's air defense architecture.

The Göktan ground-based precision attack system from Aselsan will ensure full accuracy against targets from all directions while preventing GNSS interference. A new version of Koral 200 will silence enemy air defenses, while Ejderha will neutralize drones with microwaves.

Turan's system will allow smooth connectivity and coordination with strong encryption, while Görz's unmanned air defense system will handle short-range aircraft, fixed wings, and rotary wings with missiles.

Turkey announced plans to form a domestically stratified air defense system featuring a multi-platform integrated shield centered on the network and supported by AI in a large area, with the aim of providing an unquenched defense in Turkish airspace on August 7, 2024.

"The Steel Dome Project," which was approved by the Executive Committee of the Defense Industry, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdobulan, aims to integrate various layers of domestic air defense systems, sensors, and weapons under the integrated network structure.

The project will feature sending real-time data to operational centers and leveraging artificial intelligence technology to support decision makers.

"Today we supply the Dome (Steel) system to our army, which consists of 47 vehicles worth 460 million US dollars, which will foster confidence among allies and instill fear among enemies," President Erdogan said during the delivery of the Steel Dome defense system equipment at the Aselsan facility on August 27.

"Today's shipment is the most evident proof that our struggle was not in vain," President Erdogan added, calling Aselsan a "loss" of the Turkish defense industry.

This air defense network is said to have four layers: very short distance, short distance, medium distance, and distance. Many components of this project, such as short and medium-range systems, are already in the military inventory.

For the initial layer, covering a maximum range of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) and a 5-kilometer high limit, T\"urkiye offers a variety of options developed by Aselsan, including Korkut, G\"oberk, Badmin, G\"oker, Ihtar, and Sungur.

For low levels of altitude, ranging from 5 to 10 kilometers, Turkey has systems such as Herikks, C-Ram, Hisar A+, G\"okdemir, and G\"urz.

The medium-height layer, which stretches between 10 and 15 kilometers, can include Kalkan 1, Kalkan 2, and Hisar O+.

Kalkan can function as a kind of "guard". This system can be defined as a moving air defense radar that detects incoming air threats. This is Turkey's first national air defense early warning radar, which has gained new capabilities over time.

The long-range layer, for heights between 15 and 30 kilometers and a range exceeding 60 kilometers, can be served by Siper, Turkey's first long-range air defense system.

Expected to enter inventory this year, the original version offers a range of 100 kilometers, with plans to expand this reach in future iterations.