Turkey crosses ‘another red line’ by testing S-400 defense system: US senator
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey began testing its Russian-made S-400 air missile defense system on Monday, in a move described by a US senator as exacerbating strains in US-Turkey military relations.
“Two weeks after his WH [White House] visit, [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is thumbing his nose at Trump, the U.S. + NATO, and crossing another red line on S-400s,” Chris Van Hollen, US Senator for Maryland, said in a tweet late on Monday.
Russia and Turkey signed a $2.5 billion deal for the delivery of the S-400 system to Ankara in September 2017. Delivery began on July 12; Turkey received the parts of the Russian system until September.
To test the system, F-16 fighter jets were to conduct “low and high altitude test flights” in Ankara province on Sunday and Monday, the provincial governor’s office announced Sunday.
"Within the scope of some projects carried out in coordination with the Presidency of Defense Industries, F-16 aircraft and other aircraft belonging to the (Turkish) Air Force will carry out low and high altitude test flights on Monday and Tuesday in the skies of Ankara," Daily Sabah reported the governor's office as saying.
Purchase of the S-400 system, which the US says is incompatible with its NATO defenses, has strained Ankara-Washington relations. The US suspended Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in response to the deal’s finalization. It is unclear if any new US-Turkey arms or military technology deals were made during Erdogan’s controversial visit to Washington two weeks ago.
Alexander Mikheev, head of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said Tuesday that Russia plans to sign a new contract with Ankara to supply its surface-to-air missile systems in the first half of the next year, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
In further large-scale partnership, the two countries are expected in launch the TurkStream gas pipeline early next year when its ground section is completed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia’s president may visit Turkey in early 2020 to attend the ceremony.
"Putin and Erdogan have really agreed, in one of the recent phone calls, that in early January [...] the TurkStream land sector will be ready in Turkey, and they have really discussed the possibility for President Putin to visit Turkey,” Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state news agency Sputnik.
The TurkStream natural gas pipeline has a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters, according to Turkish state media. One line will carry half of this amount from Russia to Turkey, while the second line will carry the other half from Turkey to Europe. The latter route has yet to be officially announced.
“Two weeks after his WH [White House] visit, [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is thumbing his nose at Trump, the U.S. + NATO, and crossing another red line on S-400s,” Chris Van Hollen, US Senator for Maryland, said in a tweet late on Monday.
Russia and Turkey signed a $2.5 billion deal for the delivery of the S-400 system to Ankara in September 2017. Delivery began on July 12; Turkey received the parts of the Russian system until September.
To test the system, F-16 fighter jets were to conduct “low and high altitude test flights” in Ankara province on Sunday and Monday, the provincial governor’s office announced Sunday.
"Within the scope of some projects carried out in coordination with the Presidency of Defense Industries, F-16 aircraft and other aircraft belonging to the (Turkish) Air Force will carry out low and high altitude test flights on Monday and Tuesday in the skies of Ankara," Daily Sabah reported the governor's office as saying.
Purchase of the S-400 system, which the US says is incompatible with its NATO defenses, has strained Ankara-Washington relations. The US suspended Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in response to the deal’s finalization. It is unclear if any new US-Turkey arms or military technology deals were made during Erdogan’s controversial visit to Washington two weeks ago.
Alexander Mikheev, head of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said Tuesday that Russia plans to sign a new contract with Ankara to supply its surface-to-air missile systems in the first half of the next year, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
In further large-scale partnership, the two countries are expected in launch the TurkStream gas pipeline early next year when its ground section is completed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia’s president may visit Turkey in early 2020 to attend the ceremony.
"Putin and Erdogan have really agreed, in one of the recent phone calls, that in early January [...] the TurkStream land sector will be ready in Turkey, and they have really discussed the possibility for President Putin to visit Turkey,” Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state news agency Sputnik.
The TurkStream natural gas pipeline has a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters, according to Turkish state media. One line will carry half of this amount from Russia to Turkey, while the second line will carry the other half from Turkey to Europe. The latter route has yet to be officially announced.