COVID-19 Latest
World|politics|September 12, 2017 / 04:33 PM
Turkey signs deal to get Russian S-400 air defence missiles

AKIPRESS.COM - Turkey has signed a controversial deal with Russia to arm its forces with Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, BBC reported.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara had already paid the deposit on the deal, estimated to be worth $2.5bn (£1.9bn).

Turkey has the second-largest army in Nato. Alliance members are urged to buy compatible weapons systems.

Turkey has been establishing closer links with Russia after its recent souring of ties with the US.

Turkey objects to US military support for the YPG Syrian Kurdish rebels, who are linked to rebel Kurds in Turkey.

Russia says the S-400 system has a range of 400km (248 miles) and can shoot down up to 80 targets simultaneously, aiming two missiles at each one.

Russia deployed the S-400 at its air force base near Latakia in Syria in December 2015, after Turkish jets had shot down a Russian Su-24 warplane on the Syria-Turkey border.

That incident caused a diplomatic rift between Russia and Turkey, but President Erdogan later patched up his quarrel with President Vladimir Putin.

All rights reserved

© AKIpress News Agency - 2001-2024.

Republication of any material is prohibited without a written agreement with AKIpress News Agency.

Any citation must be accompanied by a hyperlink to akipress.com.

Our address:

299/5 Chingiz Aitmatov Prosp., Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic

e-mail: english@akipress.org, akipressenglish@gmail.com;

Follow us:

Log in


Forgot your password? - recover

Not registered yet? - sign-up

Sign-up

I have an account - log in

Password recovery

I have an account - log in