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The S-400 is considered one of the most modern air defense systems in the world. But the Russian weapon has also become an instrument of choice for Russian diplomacy. The quarrel between Ankara and Washington is the most recent and most telling example.
from our correspondent in Moscow,
It is a weapon that many countries would like to possess and which is causing much tension on the international scene. After China and India, Turkey wants to acquire the S-400, one of the jewels of the Russian defense industry. A purchase that could provoke a major diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Washington and cause trouble within the Atlantic Alliance.
" The United States does not tolerate a NATO member out of the ranks and allow himself to buy such sophisticated equipment from Russia, " says Igor Delanoé, defense expert at the Observatoire franco. -Russian Moscow. " Obviously for the Russians we understand the interest: to undermine the cohesion of the Atlantic Alliance by supporting where it hurts, with the already tense relations between Turkey and the rest of the Allies within NATO. "
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, is not only willing to spend more than two billion dollars to acquire the valuable air defense system. The diplomatic price of this purchase will also be very high: Washington has indicated that Turkey will have to choose between the S-400 and the F-35 which must equip its air force. In addition, economic sanctions could follow the purchase of Russian equipment, under the Caatsa (Counter-America's Adversaries Throught Sanctions Act, 2017).
Officially, the United States puts forward technical arguments: the S-400 would be incompatible with other NATO defense systems and above all could allow Russia to access sensitive information on the F-35, via information integrated into the armament. But the message is above all political, in the eyes of many observers: Turkey must decide between Moscow and Washington.
" Turkey has the choice: either it gives up the S-400, or it endangers its entire relationship with the United States, " sums up the Russian military expert Alexander Goltz. " And of course, when you sell such a complex system, you have to train the people who will use it, which allows you to develop a very long-term relationship with the country to which you sold that weapon. This whole story is a dream for Russian diplomacy! "
" A formidable defense system "
If the S-400 has become such a success for the Russian industry - and, indirectly, for the diplomacy of Vladimir Putin - it is also because of its technical qualities. " The American Patriot is over thirty years old, it has been modernized, of course, but Russia has chosen to renew its system on an ongoing basis, " says Alexander Goltz. " And today the S-400 is much more modern than the Patriot, for a lower cost. That's what makes it a very special weapon for countries that want to defend their airspace. "
Since its commissioning in the late 2000s, the S-400 has been deployed throughout Russia and units have been installed in annexed Crimea, as well as in Syria. During military maneuvers organized regularly by the Russian army, the anti-missile system is systematically put forward, arousing each time the admiration of military attachés attending the exercises.
" With this system, the Russians have an obvious qualitative advantage over their competitors, " said Igor Delanoé of the French-Russian Observatory. " The S-400 can engage multiple targets at the same time, and it can handle both planes and missiles. It is a formidable defense system. "
So formidable that the interest in the S-400 continues to grow, arousing the greed of a growing number of countries. In recent months, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and even Iraq have expressed interest in Russian armaments. " In the case of Saudi Arabia or Qatar, it should rather be seen as an element of negotiation in the context of a regional dispute ," nuance Igor Delanoe. " As soon as you pretend to approach the Russians to buy them weapons, the Americans arrive in the following days to stop you and offer you another system, at rates that they would not necessarily have proposed in Other circumstances ... Countries use the S-400 as a diplomatic lever to attract the Americans! "
With the S-400, Russia has acquired not only an industrial champion, but also a formidable diplomatic instrument. And this may last, since the successor of the "Triumph" (another name for the S-400) is already announced. Called "Prometheus", named after the Titan who had stolen the fire from Olympus, the S-500 is expected to be put into service by the Russian army in the course of the 2020s. Meanwhile, Russia can count on the S -400 to continue to reap export markets ... and to sow discord among his opponents.