Turkish officials clarified that the S-400 cannot be integrated into the Turkish Steel Dome and does not meet the expected performance criteria that Turkish officials had hoped to achieve. The Turkish air force and army conducted numerous interception tests with the Russian-made S-400 and failed to achieve the desired results. A Turkish official said that the S-400 cannot defend Russia, it cannot defend Turkey.
As reported by Bloomberg on June 25, 2025, at the NATO summit held in The Hague, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asked French President Emmanuel Macron to lift the political obstacles that continue to block the sale and co-production of the Eurosam SAMP/T surface-to-air missile system. The issue was raised during bilateral discussions between the two leaders, in which Erdoğan stressed that Türkiye, as NATO’s second-largest land army and among the top five contributors to the alliance’s operations, must be allowed to participate in European defense initiatives.
Turkish officials stated that a favorable decision by Macron would unlock further progress in Türkiye’s efforts to operationalize its national multilayered air defense shield, known as the Steel Dome, within the next two to three years. Erdoğan also used the occasion to urge NATO leaders to give non-EU NATO members, such as Türkiye, a role in shaping the future of the European defense framework. Türkiye’s push to finalize the SAMP/T deal has gained momentum in the context of increasing regional threats. Following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran earlier this year, Ankara expanded production of its domestically developed medium- and long-range missile systems.
Turkish authorities view the acquisition and co-production of the Eurosam SAMP/T as a necessary step to complement national missile defense development and ensure full integration with NATO’s air and missile defense structure. Turkish defense officials have expressed concern that the continued absence of European systems weakens NATO interoperability in Türkiye’s airspace, and argued that Macron’s resistance to the SAMP/T project is primarily political. While France has not yet commented on Erdoğan’s latest request, Italian authorities maintain their support for the trilateral cooperation with Türkiye and continue to support the joint working group tasked with preparing for co-production.
The joint SAMP/T project has been under discussion since Türkiye signed an agreement with Eurosam in January 2018 for a preliminary 18-month feasibility study. The goal of the agreement was to assess technical requirements and prepare for the co-development of a long-range air and missile defense system tailored to Türkiye’s operational needs. The agreement included Türkiye’s defense companies Aselsan and Roketsan, along with France’s Thales, Italy’s Leonardo, and European missile consortium MBDA. However, following Türkiye’s 2019 Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, the political context deteriorated, particularly with France. As a result, progress on the SAMP/T was halted. Despite renewed bilateral and trilateral talks in 2022 and 2023, during which Erdoğan met with Macron, Mario Draghi, and Giorgia Meloni, key political disagreements on Syria, Turkish military operations in Africa, and maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean remain unresolved. Italian support for the program has continued without interruption.
At the same time, Türkiye’s previous acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 system in 2017 continues to complicate its relationship with NATO allies. The $2.5 billion contract with Russia led to Türkiye’s expulsion from the U.S.-led F-35 fighter program and to U.S. sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). NATO and U.S. officials argue that the S-400 system, if activated, could compromise sensitive operational data from allied aircraft, particularly the F-35. Türkiye has not activated the system and maintains that it was forced to turn to Russia after failing to reach acceptable terms on U.S.-made Patriot systems. Turkish officials have repeatedly said that the S-400 will not be integrated into NATO infrastructure. According to Turkish sources, Erdoğan told U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at the June 2025 summit that Türkiye would use the S-400 in a limited manner and only for specific cases, in the hope of reopening dialogue on resuming cooperation in fighter aircraft and lifting defense-related sanctions.
The Steel Dome, Türkiye’s national air and missile defense program, is at the center of Ankara’s current defense modernization strategy. It is designed to integrate a wide range of sensors, interceptors, and command-and-control assets into a comprehensive, layered network capable of engaging airborne threats at various ranges and altitudes. The system includes short-range elements such as the Korkut self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and the Sungur portable missile, as well as medium-range systems such as Hisar-A+ and Hisar-O. The long-range layer is based on the Siper missile family, under development by Roketsan and TÜBİTAK SAGE, with a range that exceeds 150 kilometers. In addition to conventional missile interceptors, the Steel Dome will also include directed-energy weapons such as the Alka and Gökberk systems. Its command and control will rely on the HERİKKS air defense management system and the RADNET radar network interface, enabling real-time threat tracking and centralized interception decisions supported by artificial intelligence.
Instead, the program will focus on systems developed in cooperation with NATO countries or produced domestically. The Ministry of National Defense has emphasized that the Steel Dome is aligned with Türkiye’s broader goal of reducing dependency on foreign platforms while maintaining NATO compatibility. In a press conference on June 26, Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk stated that expanding the Steel Dome across the national territory is now a top priority. The MoD also confirmed that Türkiye’s defense expenditures already exceed NATO’s former 2 percent of GDP guideline and support the new 5 percent target proposed for 2035. According to official figures, Türkiye allocates at least 3.5 percent of its GDP to defense, with the remainder covering infrastructure and civil resilience. Defense authorities also reiterated that Türkiye has met all operational capability targets requested by NATO and continues to be among the top five nations contributing to alliance missions and exercises.
The Eurosam SAMP/T system is a mobile, truck-mounted air defense system developed jointly by France and Italy. It uses the Aster 30 family of missiles and is designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. The current production version, the SAMP/T, has been operational in France and Italy since 2010 and is also in service with Singapore and Ukraine. The newer SAMP/T NG version integrates more powerful active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars using gallium nitride (GaN) technology. The radar solution differs by country: Thales provides the Ground Fire 300 radar for France, while Leonardo equips the Italian system with its Kronos GM HP. Both versions use the Aster 30 B1NT missile, which has a 150 km range and enhanced capabilities against hypersonic and ballistic threats. The SAMP/T system is interoperable with NATO missile defense and can be combined with short-range systems such as Mistral, CAMM-ER, and VL MICA. Since 2023, the system has been deployed in Ukraine, and additional NATO countries, including Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, and Denmark, are considering acquisition. Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland have selected the U.S. Patriot system instead.
The strategic importance of the SAMP/T for Türkiye lies in its NATO compatibility and the potential to localize production with Turkish defense companies. Turkish officials argue that the inclusion of SAMP/T would help fill the upper-tier gap in the Steel Dome architecture while strengthening alliance interoperability. The project also offers industrial benefits, including joint production of radars, fire-control systems, and interceptors, which could support Türkiye’s defense exports. In addition, the SAMP/T’s deployment in NATO forward positions has already proven its value in protecting key infrastructure, and Turkish authorities believe co-producing this system would enhance their national and regional defense role. Analysts note that the Steel Dome concept shares similarities with Israel’s Iron Dome, but its scope is broader and includes longer-range interceptors, radar integration, and future options for hypersonic defense. The program remains in its early stages and will require several years of development. However, Turkish authorities believe that integrating the SAMP/T now would allow the Steel Dome to achieve operational readiness earlier than initially projected.
With the NATO summit highlighting growing concern about Europe’s vulnerability to aerial and missile threats, Erdoğan used the event to present Türkiye’s Steel Dome as a project aligned with NATO objectives. He positioned the system as a national contribution to collective European defense, arguing that excluding Türkiye from key programs on political grounds weakens the broader alliance. French reluctance to allow the SAMP/T cooperation to proceed has become a symbolic issue within NATO, raising questions about intra-alliance solidarity. While Macron has not yet responded publicly, Turkish authorities continue to insist that a green light from France would not only benefit Türkiye but also enhance Europe’s collective missile defense capacity. The outcome of this summit-level engagement may determine the future of the SAMP/T project and Türkiye’s role in European air defense initiatives. For Ankara, the SAMP/T is not just a technical system, it represents a gateway to greater defense-industrial cooperation and a more integrated posture within NATO’s evolving strategic environment.
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