"The supply process can be completed by April 2020": the eighth and ninth aircraft with components C-400 arrived in Turkey

On Monday, July 15, deliveries to Turkey of components of the Russian long-range anti-aircraft missile system S-400 continued. This was reported in the press service of the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

According to the department, the eighth and ninth aircraft of the Russian military transport aircraft arrived at Myrted airfield in the province of Ankara.

"Shipment of long-range air defense components S-400 continues," the report says.

S-400 Uzun Menzilli Bölge Hava ve Füze Savunma Sistem malzemelerinin sevkiyatı devam ediyor. Bu kapsamda dokuzuncu uçak Mürted Hava Meydanı'na indi. pic.twitter.com/2Ciichoyaq

Recall that the contract for the supply of the Triumph air defense missile system, designed to defeat a wide range of modern and promising means of air attack in conditions of intensive radio resistance, was concluded between Moscow and Ankara in September 2017. The agreement implies the purchase of four S-400 divisions by Turkey for a total of $ 2.5 billion. According to Turkish media, the first Russian C-400 battery will be deployed in Sanliurfa province, bordering Syria.

Delivery of the first elements of the anti-aircraft missile system took place on Friday, July 12th.

“Today, three scheduled flights to Turkey have arrived, and to date, the delivery of the air defense system has been completed. In the coming days, the delivery process will continue. The training of Turkish personnel in Russia and Turkey is also continuing, ”said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar at the time.

As the President of the Turkish Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted, by the end of the year a certain part of the installation of the C-400 will be done, and the entire supply process should be completed by April 2020. He also called the deal to buy Russian air defense systems "the most important agreement in the modern history of the country."

At the same time, the Turkish leader believes that NATO should rejoice at the military-technical cooperation of Turkey with Russia, since the purchase of the C-400 will only make the country that is part of the North Atlantic Alliance stronger.

“If NATO has three to five of the most powerful member countries, then one of them is Turkey. And in our region, Turkey is the most powerful pillar of NATO. It is also one of two or three countries after the United States that accurately pay contributions, ”Erdogan said on July 14 at a meeting with leaders of the Turkish media.

“Turkey under Erdogan becomes more independent”

As political analyst of the international monitoring organization CIS-EMO Stanislav Byshok noted, Turkey has become the second NATO country, in addition to the United States, which can afford to pursue a relatively independent policy.

“In this sense, the policy consists, among other things, in the possibility of purchases of Russian weapons. I do not know if there is such a paragraph in NATO documents, I think not, regarding the fact that member countries of the alliance should buy weapons only from other members of the alliance. By default, it means that if you yourself cannot manufacture weapons, then you, first of all, give preference to those weapons that your NATO allies, primarily the United States, produce. In this sense Turkey goes another way, ”the expert pointed out.

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Meanwhile, in his opinion, Ankara will soon face sanctions from Washington, which has previously repeatedly threatened a NATO partner with consequences for the purchase of Russian military equipment. Earlier, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that US sanctions against Turkey could be announced within a week.

“I think that Erdogan will continue the relations that have developed with Russia. It is not necessary for political games to forget the simple law of value for money. Russian weapons, as far as can be judged, are highly valued on the international market, and it is at the same time cheaper than the American one. From this we must proceed first and foremost, ”said Byshok in a conversation with RT.

In turn, Professor of the Peoples' Friendship University, political scientist Yury Pochta pointed out that military-technical cooperation is a process that, as a rule, continues to evolve over time. According to him, the delivery of the S-400 was the beginning of a rather long cooperation between Russia and Turkey, which causes discontent of the United States and NATO as a whole.

“We see how Turkey becomes more independent under Erdogan, it is less dependent on the West. And Russia in this case is not trying to destroy NATO unity. It realizes its geopolitical interests. It strengthens its position in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and relations with Turkey are part of this policy. At the same time, Ankara practically ceases to be interested in joining the EU, and Turkey has a special position of its kind in NATO, ”the source noted.