A S-400 anti-aircraft defense system delivered by Russia Turkey, photographed during its download in August 2019 at an air base near Ankara, photo: Handout / AFP / Profimedia Images
Moscow has been offered to redeem the S-400 anti-aircraft systems previously delivered to Turkey due to the lack of such systems in their own deposits, reports the Turkish Nefes, quoted by The Moscow Times.
Russia's reserves of anti-aircraft defense systems have been requested to the maximum by its war against Ukraine and it no longer offers ready-made systems to other countries interested in purchasing S-400 models. At the same time, Turkey, who received S-400 systems in 2019, does not use them because they do not meet NATO standards.
In addition, Ankara develops its own anti -aircraft defense systems within the “Steel Dome” project, aiming to reduce the dependence on foreign technologies. The sources of the newspaper Nefes also emphasized that the life of the rockets delivered by Russia Turkey together with the S-400 systems has already reached half, which reduces the value of the systems for Ankara.
Another reason to sell Russia's back systems could be the US decision to exclude Turkey from the F-35 latest fighter aircraft, due to the purchase of Russian anti-aircraft systems. A source from Ankara of the Russian Novosti Agency said, however, that the problem of returning the systems to Moscow by the Turkish is not currently discussed by the Government of President Recep Erdogan.
S-400 Systems were the source of a lasting residence between US and Turkey
Russia and Turkey signed a contract for the supply of four S-400 battalions totaling $ 2.5 billion in 2017.
However, Ankara did not use them after facing sanctions and pressures from the United States. NATO leadership has also criticized the purchase of S-400 systems in harsh terms.
In 2024, the newspaper Cumhuriyet reported that Turkey offered the United States to keep Russian systems in the warehouse in exchange for the country of F-35 fighter jets.
Subsequently, the Turkish Minister of Defense, Yasar Guler, said that the United States has no objection to the country's use of Russian systems.
Against the background of the war between Israel and Iran this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that S-400 systems cannot fully meet the country's needs. He reminded the development of his own anti-aircraft missile systems-“Siper”, “Korkut”, “Hisar” and “Sungur”-which, according to him, would not have been created if the country had been “in the corner” and would have expected to “buy weapons from someone”.
