Russia, Turkey agree to speed up delivery of S-400s
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 3 March he had agreed with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to speed up the delivery of S-400 air defence missile systems to Ankara, a purchase that has alarmed Turkey's NATO partners.
'We took the decision to speed up the timetable for the delivery of these highly effective Russian systems,' Putin told reporters after talks with Erdogan in the Turkish capital, referring to the S-400s but without giving a date.
Putin said that acceleration in production of the weapons was being done at the 'request of our Turkish partners and friends'.
The deal has been valued at about $2 billion according to reports.
Russian officials had said in December that the first deliveries of the S-400s were likely to begin at the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020.
Such a major purchase of weaponry from Russia by a key NATO member had raised concerns both over Turkey's strategic orientation and the compatibility of the systems within the alliance.
But Erdogan indicated that Turkey was in no mood to listen to criticism from the West over the purchase.
'This is a decision of Turkey. We made an agreement about the S-400s [with Russia] and this issue is now closed,' he said.
According to Russian press reports, Turkey has also been hugely interested in a technology transfer and even joint production of the S-400s with Russia, a prospect that has been resisted by some in the Moscow security services.
But Putin refused to discuss the issue saying 'these are exclusively commercial questions' rather than political ones.
More from Land Warfare
-
![Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression]()
Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression
Romania is retiring old systems, some Soviet, and replacing them with western equipment from countries such as Sweden and Turkey and boosting existing modern fleets.
-
![Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV]()
Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV
Milrem has delivered or is building a total of 200 Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System UGVs and has chosen Texelis as partner in its effort to develop a UGV.
-
![Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system]()
Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system
The most recent nation to join NATO has joined other member nations in using the M3 system.
-
![CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent]()
CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent
Slovakia is undergoing a radical refresh of its equipment, like many central and eastern European countries, and the arrival of new vehicles will form a substantial part of this.
-
![Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace]()
Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace
In conversation... Patria’s Lauri Pauniaho talks to Shephard's Gerrard Cowan about how high mobility levels are essential for mortar systems in the face of modern counter-battery fire, and how a new platform-agnostic module can combine existing vehicles and mortar barrels into a cost-effective new weapon system.
