Turkey will receive the second batch of the Russian S-400 Air Defense Missile System on Tuesday, Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar has said.
Reports started roaming about the Russian-Turkish deal of the S-400 systems, in November 2016. In September 2017, Erdogan opened about Ankara’s decision to sign a contract with Moscow on purchasing the S-400 missile systems and making an advance payment.
Ankara received its first supply of S-400 missiles in July, despite a warning by the United States about possible sanctions and the expulsion from the F-35 stealth fighter program.
Relevant: First shipment of S-400 Missiles arrived in Turkey
According to U.S. officials, the sale threatened the future of Washington-Ankara relations and raises questions about Turkey’s relation with the NATO as Russia is trying to cast its own influence on the NATO member country to shake the alliance.
According to US defense officials, the Russian military could use an S-400 deployed in Turkey to collect sensitive data about the F-35 stealth aircraft, which is supposed to become the backbone of future aerial operations by Nato member states’.
Relevant: American F-35s and Russia’s S-400s can’t be deployed side by side
Turkey disputes this, claiming that it will respect and protect the security of the F-35 by ensuring that the new S-400 system is not linked up to Turkey’s wider, Nato-Integrated Defence Architecture. The US remains unsatisfied with this proposal.
The Russian S-400 is so far one of the World’s most advanced missile systems in the world, capable of tracking and engaging several targets simultaneously and ready to be fired within minutes.
So far, however, Ankara has refused to give up on US pressure, insisting that choosing which defense equipment to buy is a matter of national sovereignty.
Turkey’s deal with Russia has also raised concerns in Western circles that Turkey is immersing deeper into Moscow’s influence.
