Turkey receives first delivery of Russian S-400
Turkey has received the first batch of Russia's S-400 missile defence system, despite repeated warnings from its United States NATO ally against the purchase.
‘The delivery of the first shipment of parts of the S-400 long range regional air missile defence system began as of July 12, 2019 to Murted air base in Ankara,’ the ministry said in a statement.
The delivery, which was made by plane, is likely to escalate tensions with the US after Washington warned this week that there would be ‘real and negative’ consequences if Ankara bought the Russian defence system.
The US State Department has said that Turkish officials are fully aware of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a law passed by Congress in 2017 that mandates sanctions for any ‘significant’ purchases of weapons from Russia.
Washington has threatened to remove Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet programme, giving Ankara until July 31 to cancel the S-400 purchase or have its pilots kicked off the training course and expelled from the US.
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting US counterpart Donald Trump last month that he was confident Ankara would not face sanctions for buying the Russian missile system.
Erdogan told Trump during their meeting on the margins of the G-20 meeting in Japan that former president Barack Obama did not allow Ankara to buy Patriot missiles -- an equivalent of the S-400s.
Trump sounded convinced and said ‘You can't do business that way. It's not good.’
The Turkish air force changed the name of the base in Ankara from Akinci to Murted after it was the centre of a 2016 failed coup attempt.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
First locally built KF41 Lynx IFV handed over to Hungary
The KF41 procurement is part of Hungary’s Zrínyi 2026 development plan and is one of several efforts to procure modern, NATO-standard platforms that will supersede legacy equipment received from the Soviet Union by 2026.
-
How Spain’s acquisition of PAC-3 MSE can boost European air defence
Madrid will increase interoperability with the other seven users of next-gen Patriot in the region.
-
MBDA announces new VSHORAD system at Farnborough International Airshow 2024
The VSHORAD supersonic single-operator interceptor air defence system was unveiled at Farnborough.
-
Raytheon notes CUAS laser success and pushes for faster air defence manufacture
Raytheon’s Patriot air defence system has been in high demand with orders and commitment coming in from Germany, Romania and Spain.
-
BAE Tridon MK2 fitted with Chess Dynamics fire control system
The collaboration between the defence giant and the gunfire control specialist will help deliver a modular anti-drone solution.