Russia has begun delivering the second battery of its controversial S-400 missile defense system that has stretched relations between Ankara and Washington, Turkey’s defense ministery announced Tuesday.
The new batteries follow the initial sets delivered last month in a deal that pushed the country closer to possible U.S. sanctions and a new diplomatic standoff.
Washington has previously told its NATO ally that Ankara’s adoption of Russian S-400 missile technology alongside high-tech U.S. F-35 fighters was incompatible and would endanger Western defence.
“We have . . . been clear that acquisition of the [Russian] S-400 is not compatible with the F-35,” Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a Department of Defense (DOD) spokesman declared in a statement issued in April. “We very much regret the current situation . . . but the DOD is taking prudent steps to protect the shared investments made in our critical technology.”
The S-400 is the latest generation surface-to-air defense system developed by Russia as a rival for America’s own Patriot weaponry, and is considered by NATO countries to pose a threat to their combined air operations.
The Turkish defense ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter that the latest shipment resumed Tuesday as Turkish media reported that a Russian cargo plane landed at an air base near Ankara.
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