Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering Türkiye’s defence company Aselsan to lead the development of an air defence system for NEOM, its planned futuristic mega-city. The project is part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to diversify its economy and develop advanced infrastructure, including security capabilities.

The proposed system is known as the “Steel Dome,” a multi-layered air defence solution currently under development by a consortium of Turkish firms, including Aselsan, TUBITAK SAGE, Roketsan, and MKE. Unlike Israel’s Iron Dome, which is focused on short-range threats, the Steel Dome is designed to intercept a wider range of aerial threats at varying distances.

Saudi Arabia has increasingly expressed interest in defence partnerships that prioritise domestic capability-building through technology sharing. In line with this approach, the country signed a $3 billion agreement in 2023 with Türkiye’s Baykar to locally produce the Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle.

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