Ankara: Trkiye has signed additional serial production contracts with leading defense companies Aselsan and Roketsan for the Hisar-A and Hisar-O air defense systems, for the country's multi-layered Steel Dome air defense architecture, the head of the country's Defense Industries Secretariat said Friday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the contracts were signed in line with decisions adopted by Trkiye's Defense Industry Executive Committee on Feb. 18, Secretary of Defense Industries Haluk Gorgun said in a statement on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal. 'A major day in the defense of the Sky Homeland,' Gorgun said, adding that Trkiye is determined to reinforce its multi-layered air defense architecture under its Steel Dome vision and commitments within NATO.
Gorgun emphasized that Trkiye's defense industry has developed an ecosystem of more than 4,000 companies capable of meeting the country's advanced defense requirements. The sector employs around 100,000 engineers and technicians, with an average age below 34, he added. 'Every domestic and national project implemented under the coordination of our presidency ensures that our resources remain within the country, supports employment and contributes to increasing our industrial capacity,' Gorgun noted.
Aselsan separately announced that it had signed a contract worth approximately pound 1.47 billion ($1.68 billion) with the Defense Industries Secretariat for additional production under ongoing air defense programs. The company stated in a filing to Trkiye's Public Disclosure Platform that the agreement was expected to have a positive impact on its revenue, although it did not disclose a delivery timetable or specify the systems covered by the entire contract.
The Hisar family was developed under the coordination of the Defense Industries Secretariat through cooperation between Aselsan and Roketsan, while the missile warheads were developed by Trkiye's defense research institute Tubitak Sage. Hisar-A is designed primarily to protect mobile and armored units against low-altitude threats, while Hisar-O provides medium-altitude point and regional air defense. The systems are designed to counter threats including fighter jets, helicopters, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and armed or unarmed drones. The Hisar-A+ variant has an interception range of up to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), while Hisar-O+ can engage targets at distances of up to 25 kilometers.
Aselsan, Trkiye's largest defense electronics company, develops technologies in areas including air and missile defense, radar, electronic warfare, military communications, electro-optics, and command-and-control systems.