UP

Russian missile shield long owned by NATO allies

Home page Army
12 Punto 14 Punto 16 Punto 18 Punto

At least three NATO members have been using Russian air missile defense systems over the years, even as the U.S. steps up pressure on Turkey and India to withdraw from their own purchases of such hardware.

Axar.az reports citing AA that, with India having inked a deal with Moscow in October 2018 following wide-ranging talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to buy S-400 missile defense systems, deliveries are scheduled to commence in October 2020 and to be completed by April 2023. Turkey, which began negotiations for the purchase in 2017, is likely to receive its first batch over the next two months.

With NATO ally Turkey, Washington's main objection to the planned deployment of Russian systems is that they would not be compatible with NATO equipment and would pose a threat to the U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets, of which Turkey is a prospective buyer and partner in development and production.

Russia has so far sold the earlier version of the S-300 system to some 20 countries, including the NATO member countries such as Bulgaria, Greece and Slovakia. The S-300 missiles are currently an integrated part of the air defenses of Greece -- a NATO nation -- and have also been deployed in Greek Cyprus.

Experts believe that NATO forces and their jets are exposed to radar systems deployed in Greece as much as they could be from the missile shield deployed in Turkey. It is believed that the U.S. itself had purchased an S-300 air defense system in 1994 from Belarus. The New York Times reported however that this was meant to examine the system, to modernize its own Patriot air defense shield.

The S-400 Triumf missile system was developed by Russia's Almaz Central Design Bureau as an upgrade of the S-300 model and carry surface-to-air missiles capable of targeting a variety of aircraft from distances ranging from 40 to 400 kilometers (250 to 25 miles). It is described as the best air-defense system in the world at present.

The earlier version of the S-400 system uses identical radar system is currently in the possession of 17 countries including Greece, Slovakia and Bulgaria -- all U.S. allies. Ukraine, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Georgia, Moldova, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also have the S-300.

Date
2019.06.12 / 12:23
Author
Axar.az
Comments
See also

Zakir Hasanov met with his Slovak counterpart - Video

Azerbaijani MoD visits hospital on holiday eve - Video

Zakir Hasanov congratulated the Army on Victory Day

List of equipment and ammunition confiscated in Karabakh

Azerbaijani DM holds phone talk with Sasha Baker

List of confiscated equipment and ammunition in Karabakh - Video

Their goal is to harm the image of our army - MoD

Armenia subjects Azerbaijani Army positions to fire

Our positions in the direction of Kalbajar were fired upon

The next provocation of the Armenian army was prevented

Latest
Xocalı soyqırımı — 1992-ci il Bağla
Bize yazin Bağla
ArxivBağla