Turkey receives delivery of Russian missile defence system, likely to roil U.S., NATO

Cargo is unloaded from a Russian AN-124 cargo plane transporting parts of the S-400 air defence system from Russia, after it landed at Murted Airfield in Ankara. The Turkish Defence Ministry confirmed the first delivery of components for the system. (Getty Images)

Turkey has received delivery of the Russian missile defense system. It should be noted that it could affect both the United States and NATO and that it could also become a threat.

As such, Russia began delivering an advanced missile defense system to Turkey on Friday, an action that is expected to activate US sanctions against a NATO ally and create a wedge in the heart of the Western military alliance. . Likewise, the first parts of the S-400 air defense system were transferred to a military airbase near the capital, Ankara, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said, which sealed Turkey’s agreement with Russia that Washington had fought for months to avoid.

In this way, it is important to mention that Washington has said that the system is incompatible with NATO types and is a threat to F-35 fighter jets.

Incompatibility

For its part, the United States has indicated that Russian military hardware is not compatible with NATO systems and consequently the acquisition may lead to the expulsion of Ankara from an F-35 combat aircraft program.

In this way, investors in Turkey have been uneasy about the agreement. The Turkish lira weakened against the US dollar before the ministry announced the arrival of the S-400 shipment to Murted Air Base, northwest of Ankara.

Likewise, the Russian Federal Service for Technical-Military Cooperation confirmed on Friday that it had begun to deliver the S-400 systems and that the deliveries would continue according to an agreed timetable, the RIA news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Turkey has expressed that the system is a strategic defense requirement, particularly to secure its southern borders with Syria and Iraq. In addition, he said that when he reached an agreement with Russia for the S-400, the United States and Europe had not presented a viable alternative.

Similarly, Washington has said that the S-400 could compromise its stealth fighter aircraft Lockheed Martin F-35, a plane that Turkey is helping build and plans to buy.

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Source: Thomson Reuters | CBC News