“We meet as high as 80 percent of our heroic army’s needs through homegrown systems”
Speaking at the Steel Dome Deliveries-Facility Openings and Oğulbey Groundbreaking Ceremony, President Erdoğan said: “Today, we meet as high as 80 percent of our heroic army’s needs through homegrown systems. We thus keep a substantial resource, which would otherwise go abroad, inside the country. We also make our systems available to our friends and allies, boosting our diplomatic effectiveness.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Steel Dome Deliveries-Facility Openings and Oğulbey Groundbreaking Ceremony in Ankara.
“TODAY, WE ARE ALSO BREAKING GROUND FOR A GIANT INVESTMENT THAT WILL SHAPE OUR FUTURE”
Stressing that the Steel Dome system will elevate Türkiye to a completely different tier in air defense, President Erdoğan said: “Today, we are delivering to our heroic army the Gök Kubbe systems, consisting of a total of 47 vehicles worth 460 million dollars, which will inspire confidence in our friends and instill fear in our enemies. Recent hot conflicts around us attest to the importance of air defense and radar systems. We are well aware of the fact that we cannot afford to leave things up to luck. No country that cannot develop its own radar, air defense system and electronic warfare capability can look to the future with confidence in the face of current security challenges, particularly in our region. What determines the thin line between being on the menu and being at the table is one’s air defense and assault capabilities. With this understanding, we are making significant progress in the construction and development process that we launched a long while ago. We have covered a great distance in a short span of time despite all the obstacles. Today’s deliveries are the most concrete proof that our struggle has not been in vain.”
President Erdoğan continued: “Today, we are also breaking ground for a giant investment that will shape our future. We are laying the first concrete for a campus that would befit ASELSAN’s second 50 years. With an investment volume of 1.5 billion dollars, Oğulbey Technology Base stands out as one of the largest industrial investments in recent years. More importantly, this investment marks the single largest defense industry investment ever made at once in the history of our Republic. This is also the largest integrated air defense facility in Europe. I would like to underscore that this investment is a milestone for our nation since ASELSAN is the engine of our defense industry.”
“WE MAKE OUR SYSTEMS AVAILABLE TO OUR FRIENDS AND ALLIES”
President Erdoğan noted: “Currently, we meet as high as 80 percent of our heroic army’s needs through homegrown systems. We thus keep a substantial resource, which would otherwise go abroad, inside the country. We also make our systems available to our friends and allies, boosting our diplomatic effectiveness. The sector’s exports exceeded 7 billion dollars last year. We are going quite well this year, too. In July, our defense and aerospace exports reached 989.6 million dollars, marking a 128.9 percent rise compared to the same month of the previous year. Total exports in the January-July period increased by 38.6 percent to 4.591 billion dollars. These figures are a great source of pride. Considering the momentum we have gained, I believe we will reach the level of 20 billion dollars in a couple of years.”
