Turkey to test Russian S-400 systems despite US condemnations
According To Iran News, Turkey has announced it will test the S-400 missile defense systems it purchased from Russia in Ankara on Monday and Tuesday as the row with the US deepens.
Turkish media have reported that the Turkish military would fly its fighter jets near the Mürted Air Base on Monday and Tuesday to test the S-400’s radar systems at the heart of the row with the United States.
The Ankara Governorate announced late Sunday that the test flights will be conducted near the capital in the next two days, Daily Sabah said in a report on the matter on Monday.
Russia delivered two batteries of the S-400 system to Turkey between July and September.
Following protracted efforts to purchase an air defense system from the US with no success, Ankara signed a $2.5 billion contract in 2017 to purchase the Russian S-400s.
The Russian missile system purchase has been a sticking point between Turkey and the U.S. for some time as Washington has argued that the S-400 system would be incompatible with NATO systems. Turkey, however, emphasized the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance and rejected stepping back from the deal.
Security sources earlier suggested that the Russian systems will be deployed in Ankara and will be fully operation by April 2020.
