DEFENCE: Turkey receives first delivery of S400 Russian missile system

Turkey has received delivery of the Russian S-400 missile system to be completed over the following days despite warnings from Washington not to do so.

The first delivery of the system’s components have already arrived at a military base near the capital Ankara.

Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian ground to air missile system was a source of tension between Turkey and the United States and its NATO allies.

Russia and Turkey had signed a $2.5 bln deal for the sale of the S-400 missile system in December 2017.

The US did propose to Turkey a $3.5 bln sale of Patriot missiles, but Ankara rejected the deal arguing that the terms proposed were not as favourable as those offered by Russia for the S-400.

US and NATO officials have repeatedly argued that the S-400 system is incompatible with the alliance’s air defence umbrella and argued that the presence of the system in Turkey could allow Russia to collect important intel on the F-35 aircrafts and other NATO systems.

In May, a senior Pentagon official said the deployment of the S-400 in Turkey would be "disastrous" for the F-35 program.

Turkish state broadcaster TRT showed footage of what was said to be a third Russian Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft at Murted military airport in Ankara, saying that further deliveries were expected throughout the day and will be completed in the coming days.

TRT added that the system would be assembled at Murted airport by a joint Turkish-Russian technical team and installed in several locations across Turkey that have yet to be determined. These missiles will not be as part of Turkey’s NATO defence strategy but elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Russia has also confirmed the delivery of the first components of the S-400 missile systems to Turkey.