12.07.2023

"The S-400 has become a symbol of Turkish disobedience": the American press writes about the "uselessness" of the Russian air defense system for Ankara

Sections: Air, Missile and artillery, Air defense, Markets and cooperation, Global safety

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Image source: topwar.ru

Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems led to Ankara's exclusion from the F-35 program and to US sanctions. Despite this, the country's authorities do not intend to part with this anti-aircraft system.

Turkish S-400s have become useless weapons. The SAMs are not properly integrated with other [Western] air defense systems, as they are not connected to the NATO radar network, because alliance members fear that this may lead to other systems becoming available for surveillance by Russia, which may also receive valuable information about the F-stealth aircraft.35

- they write in the publication Business Insider.

As indicated, without communication with other radars, the Turkish air defense network has "blind spots" that limit the effectiveness of the S-400. However, President Recep Erdogan cannot break the S-400 deal for political reasons.

The political cost of abandoning the SAM is too high. For the nationalist audience, the S-400 became a symbol of Turkish defiance of the United States, which made it "prohibitively expensive" for Erdogan's party to abandon it

- it is said in the American press.

Shortly before Turkey received its first S-400 components, the country's interior minister said that these weapons "are a declaration of independence." Currently, the purchase of the second batch of S-400 is expected. At the same time, we are developing our own products of this class.

We [ourselves] produce air defense systems. We don't need either the S-300 or the S-400. We eliminate the need for them. This is our duty

- stated in March in the Turkish defense industry.