Turkey to receive Russian S-400 missiles in July 2019
Turkey and Russia have agreed to bring forward to July 2019 the delivery of S-400 air defence missile systems to Ankara, a Turkish official said, in a purchase that has raised eyebrows among NATO allies.
Ismail Demir, Turkish Defence Industries Undersecretary, wrote on Twitter late on 3 April: ‘We brought forward the delivery date in the contract signed with Russia for the acquisition of S-400 systems and got an earlier date of July 2019.’
His announcement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin held several hours of meeting with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
At the press conference, Putin said he and Erdogan had decided to ‘speed up’ the delivery of the S-400 air defence missile systems to Ankara, without providing a precise date.
Russian officials had said in December 2017 that the first deliveries in the $2 billion deal were likely to begin at the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020.
Putin and Erdogan have forged an increasingly close alliance in recent months, from burgeoning energy ties to holding talks to end the Syria crisis.
In a sign of the importance of the partnership, Putin's visit to Turkey is his first trip abroad since he won a historic fourth presidential mandate in 18 March polls.
Erdogan said on 3 April that Turkey was in no mood to listen to criticism from the West over the purchase of the S-400 systems, saying ‘this issue is now closed’.
According to Russian press reports, Turkey has been interested in a technology transfer and even joint production of the S-400 with Russia, a prospect that has been resisted by some in the Moscow security services.
Putin refused to discuss the issue saying ‘these are exclusively commercial questions’ rather than political ones.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
I/ITSEC 2024: 3D perception announces next-generation simulation software WarpCore
The company is also showcasing the Draco and Atlas simulators at I/ITSEC 2024.
-
Trophy APS ordered for new German Leopards
Rafael Advanced Defence Systems’ Trophy active protection system (APS) has been deployed extensively onboard armoured vehicles used by the Israeli Army.
-
Rheinmetall locks in $950 million purchase of US company to strengthen position
Rheinmetall is working to open up the US market and the potential billions of dollars on offer. In order to get in the door it has purchased engineering company Loc Performance Products.
-
I/ITSEC 2024: Kopin showcases optronics for live and virtual training purposes
The company’s displays were engineered to provide more realistic simulated environments.