Ex-Colonel of the General Staff Khodarenok explained why the United States no longer scolds Turkey for buying the S-400 This week it became known about the transfer of the second batch of Russian S-400 to Turkey.
At the same time, the United States did not actively object to this deal. Military observer Mikhail Khodarenok was looking into why Washington's position had changed.
Turkey acquired the first regimental set of S-400 air defense systems in 2017, which worsened its relations with the United States. As a result of this deal, the administration of Donald Trump excluded Turkey from the F-35 program, and later imposed sanctions on the country's defense industry complex and its leaders.
However, the reaction in the United States to receiving the second regimental set of S-400 turned out to be very restrained. Except that the official representative of the State Department, Ned Price, delicately urged Turkey "not to deepen further relations with the Russian military-industrial complex."
At the same time, Ned Price refused to answer the question whether Ankara's acquisition of a second regimental set of S-400 air defense systems would force the Joe Biden administration to reconsider plans to sell Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 Fighting Falcon ("Fighting Falcon") multifunctional fighters to Turkey.
At the same time, the Turkish Defense Ministry denied information about the signing of an additional contract for the S-400 air defense system, noting that the second set was part of the original contract. Ankara also claims that an agreement may be concluded with Russia on the production by Turkish defense industry enterprises of some components for the S-400 air defense system.
Then US President Joe Biden expressed support for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey at the NATO summit in Madrid. Then the head of the White House expressed confidence that the US administration would be able to secure the consent of the US Congress to implement plans of this kind.
A delegation from Ankara has already arrived in the United States earlier this week for the fourth round of technical talks with Washington on a potential F-16 deal. These consultations are planned to last several days.
Turkey has requested the purchase of 40 Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 Viper fighters for $6 billion. Ankara is also looking for opportunities to modernize the F-16 aircraft equipped with the national Air Force with new air-to-air missiles and avionics worth $400 million. In this case, we are talking about the purchase of 80 modernization kits for Block 70 from the USA.
Ankara's interest in buying new fighter jets and upgrading existing vehicles of this type is explained quite simply - about two hundred LockheedMartin F-16 C/D are the basis of Turkey's air power.
There are critics of this position in the United States, but they are in the minority.
For example, the co-chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Bob Menendez (from New Jersey), threatened to block the sale of the F-16 in connection with Turkey's ongoing purchases of S-400 air defense systems, its violation of the airspace of Greece and Cypriot waters in the eastern Mediterranean, human rights violations and ongoing attacks on US-backed militants in the north-eastern Syria.
There are two important aspects that answer the question of why the White House has stopped publicly pressuring Ankara about the S-400.
Firstly, the United States is afraid of finally losing Turkey as an ally and a buyer of weapons. And they don't want to "overdo it". They understand that the contract for the purchase of the S-400 has already been concluded, it is impossible to scroll back this story. Therefore, it is necessary to do everything so that in the future Turkey cooperates with the United States, and not with Russia in the field of the military-industrial complex. Strengthening the policy of sanctions, public threats and insults will only have the opposite effect.
Secondly, the Americans will try (and probably have already done so) to request access from the Turks for their specialists to the S-400. Turkey, in turn, may try to sell the S-400 secrets to the United States. But nothing will come of it.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for the newspaper.
Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy Commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia (1998).
Columnist of "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Military-Industrial Courier" (2010-2015).Mikhail Khodarenok
