A new peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Defence and Security Industries (2026) examines the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), a German-led multinational effort to build a layered, NATO-interoperable air and missile defense architecture across Europe. The paper also evaluates Türkiye’s evolving role in ESSI, highlighting its indigenous capabilities, geostrategic value, and integration potential.
Key findings
- ESSI as a NATO-aligned accelerator. ESSI is not a NATO or EU program, but it is designed to plug directly into NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS), enabling seamless sensor-to-shooter coordination across 24 participating countries.
- Türkiye’s layered defense architecture. Türkiye’s HİSAR and SİPER systems, along with the Steel Dome integration concept, offer scalable, standards-compliant capabilities across very short-, medium-, and long-range tiers, including naval variants.
- Industrial and geographic value. Türkiye’s defense-industrial base ranks among the world’s top 100 arms producers, offering co-production potential and surge capacity. Its location on NATO’s southeastern flank extends early-warning depth and supports protection of critical corridors and infrastructure.
