City
Epaper

8th plane carrying Russian S-400 components reach Turkey

By IANS | Updated: July 15, 2019 15:20 IST

Delivery of the Russian S-400 defence missile system to Turkey continued on Monday, as an eighth Russian plane carrying equipment of the system landed at an airbase near capital Ankara, the Turkish Defence Ministry said.

Open in App

"Delivery of parts of the S-400 Long Range Air and Missile Defence Systems is continuing. In this context, the eighth plane landed at Mürted Airbase," The Hurriyet Daily newspaper quoted the Minister as sayingin a Twitter post.

Deliveries of Russia's S-400 missile systems to Turkey began on July 12. According to the Ministrye, on that day three cargo planes delivered several truck tractors and a transport and load vehicle for S-400 systems to Murted Air Base, reports Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

Another Russian plane arrived the next day. On Sunday, Turkey confirmed the arrival of the seventh plane.

On July 14, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the S-400 deal with Russia as a major agreement in Ankara's modern history.

He noted that the supplies of Russia's air defence systems could be completed by April 2020.

In December 2017, Ankara and Moscow signed a $2.5 billion agreement for two batteries of the S-400 system, Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system.

Turkey is the first NATO member country to acquire the system, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ankara's cooperation with Russia on this missile system has been strongly criticized by Turkey's NATO ally, the US.

In April, the Pentagon claimed that Turkey's adoption of Russian missile could cause security risk on F-35 jets and NATO defence system.

US President Donald Trump's administration has also threatened to impose severe sanctions on Turkey if the S-400 missiles deal with Moscow was followed through.

However, Turkey has refused to bow to US pressure, insisting that choosing which equipment to purchase is a matter of national sovereignty and does not target any third country.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: RussiaTurkeyNatoAnkaraus
Open in App

Related Stories

BusinessGlobal Tech Firms Eye India for Manufacturing Amid US-China Tensions

InternationalIllinois Plane Crash: 4 Killed After Cessna C180G Aircraft Goes Down After Hitting Power Lines in Trilla

NationalPM Narendra Modi Discusses Tech and Innovation Collaboration With Elon Musk

MaharashtraMaharashtra-Russia to Jointly Develop Thorium Reactors

InternationalCalifornia Shooting: 6 People Injured in Firing Outside Barbershop in Stockton

International Realted Stories

InternationalUS reports over 800 measles cases in 2025

InternationalPak Army official sparks outrage with throat slit gesture at London protest against J&K terror strike

InternationalKailash Mansarovar Yatra to take place between June-August: MEA

InternationalRequiem Mass for Pope Francis begins

InternationalNorth Korean leader attends launching ceremony of new navy destroyer