Turkey rushes to buy Russia’s advanced air defence system

Istanbul : President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said Turkey will buy some of Russia’s highly-sophisticated air defence systems “in the shortest time” -- a purchase that has alarmed Ankara’s NATO partners. “Turkey needs S-400s and its deal has been done,” Erdogan said in the western city of Balikesir. “God willing, we will buy them in the shortest time.”

In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to speed up the first deliveries of the S-400s, which had previously been scheduled for the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020. The S-400 is the latest generation surface-to-air defence system developed by Russia and is considered by NATO countries to pose a threat to their aircraft. Such a major purchase of weaponry from Moscow has raised concerns over Turkey’s strategic orientation and the compatibility of the systems within the alliance.