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
-
![Can NATO’s CUAS marketplace turn urgent demand into deliveries?]()
Can NATO’s CUAS marketplace turn urgent demand into deliveries?
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
-
![A medium UGV market emerges as the US weighs up its options]()
A medium UGV market emerges as the US weighs up its options
The US is pursuing multiple UGV programmes, from commercial robotic platforms to new autonomy technologies. The combination of these efforts could prove key to turning ambition into operational capability.
-
![NATO looks for answers to overcome standards hurdles and improve procurement]()
NATO looks for answers to overcome standards hurdles and improve procurement
NATO is looking to artificial intelligence to provide integration between different C2 systems to create a common operational picture, potentially offering a faster route to interoperability than the slow-moving processes of NATO standards committees.
-
![NATO FUSE exercise plays out real-world scenario in the face of eastern border risks]()
NATO FUSE exercise plays out real-world scenario in the face of eastern border risks
The large-scale exercise in Latvia was the culmination of three experimentation initiatives to see how platforms, weapons and systems could fit into the alliance’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. As well as forces, it brought together companies and equipment.
-
![Canada accelerates uncrewed aerial system procurement for NATO and Arctic forces]()
Canada accelerates uncrewed aerial system procurement for NATO and Arctic forces
Canada plans to acquire at least 120 uncrewed aerial systems through two competitions with combined funding ceilings of C$32 million.
