Turkey took its first shipment of an advanced Russian missile defense system Friday, ignoring repeated warnings from Washington and fueling concerns about where the country's loyalties lie between the West and Moscow.
Turkey is reportedly paying some $2 billion for Russia's S-400, which is among the most advanced and feared air defense systems in the world.
The "first batch" of components were delivered to the Murted Air Base outside the capital, Ankara, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement, and more parts would be delivered "in the coming days," Turkey's Defense Industry Directorate added.
"The S-400 anti-aircraft missile system is the newest air defense system and is designed to defeat a wide range of modern and prospective air attack weapons," the Russian defense ministry said.
The deal is the first of its kind between a NATO member and Russia, and risks a showdown with the United States.
Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952. It boasts the alliance's largest number of troops after the U.S., with more personnel than France and the United Kingdom combined, according to NATO figures.
Image: Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders summit in Osaka, JapanRussian President Vladimir Putin greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan.Yuri Kadobnov / AFP - Getty Images file
Ankara has ordered around 30 of the F-35 stealth fighter jets that Washington hopes will form the alliance's aerial backbone. Turkey has also helped manufacture parts for the jet and its pilots have been running training flights at an air base in Arizona.
However, the U.S. and other industry analysts warn that the S-400 is incompatible with NATO's systems.
More worrying from Washington's perspective is if the Russian missile system and the American jets are deployed on the same soil, the S-400 could learn how to track the stealth F-35 and perhaps even target its vulnerabilities.
In light of this, Washington has already started the process of removing Turkey from the F-35 program, halting the training of Turkish pilots in the U.S.
It has also warned Turkey that if it goes ahead with the purchase, it will face economic sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. It is this act — known as CAATSA — that the U.S. deployed when China bought the S-400 and other equipment from Russia's blacklisted state arms export agency.
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