Turkey announced on Thursday that contractors have begun building a naval aircraft destroyer. The vessel will be part of the multi-layered "Steel Dome", or air defence system, planned by the country.

NATO member Turkey announced its first plans to build Steel Dome, a system similar to Israel's Iron Dome, in July 2024.

The Turkish Defence Industries Presidency (the country's top authority in the defence industry) announced on Wednesday that Turkish companies had signed contracts worth $6.5 billion to strengthen and develop the Steel Dome.

The ministry announced at its weekly briefing that construction of the first vessel within the scope 'TF-2000 Air Defense Destroyer Project has started at our Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command.

It added that "our ship, which is part of the Steel Dome will be built as quickly as possible and will make a significant contribution to our air defense capabilities."

The Steel Dome includes 47 components ranging from electro-optical sensors to radars, missiles, command and controls, and air defense elements of different ranges. (Reporting and editing by William Maclean, Tuvan Gumrukcu)

(source: Reuters)