President Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will never turn back from a deal to buy S-400 missile defense system from Russia. He added that they will subsequently look into buying S-500, the next generation system, as well.
The US has warned that the procurement could affect the defense industry deals among the NATO allies. The US State Department explained that the Russian acquisition will risk potential future arm deals with Turkey.
Turkey and the US agreed on a deal for 100 F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters, and 2 jets have already been delivered. But Congress last year ordered a delay in future deliveries. Turkey’s purchase of Russian equipment is much suspected by The US.
On the other hand, Turkey is of the view that it needs alternative missile defenses to counter regional threats. Erdogan clearly stated that The US should not try to discipline them with trade restrictions, otherwise they have their own penalties prepared.
The first delivery of S-400 is scheduled for June or July, and the deal is worth 2.5 billion USD according to the Russian media. The equipment is anti-aircraft weapon system which uses 4 missiles, the very-long-range 40N6 (400 km), the long-range 48N6 (250 km), the medium-range 9M96E2 (120 km) and the short-range 9M96E (40 km)
