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President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey aimed to have its own "Steel Dome" multi-layered air defense system soon, adding that Ankara would also increase its long-range missile capabilities. NATO member Turkey has in recent years significantly reduced its dependence on external suppliers of defense equipment. It has become a leading manufacturer of armed drones for the global market and produces much of its own defense needs at home. Speaking at a ceremony in Ankara to inaugurate the home-made Gokbey helicopter for use by the gendarmerie at the headquarters of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), which was targeted by a deadly Kurdish militant attack last week, Erdogan likened the "Steel Dome" to Israel's famed Iron Dome. "It is understood much better now how vitally important our multi-layered air defense systems are for our security. If they (Israel) have an 'Iron Dome', we will have a 'Steel Dome'. We won't look at them and say 'why don't we have this'," Erdogan said, without giving a specific timeline. "We will increase our long-range missile capabilities during this period too," he added, saying Turkey would "not rest" until it achieved full independence in the defense industry.
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