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Erdogan announces that S-400 deal is “inked”
Speaking to fellow Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers on July 25, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the agreements involving the sale of Almaz-Antey S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems have been “inked.”
“We have now taken steps with Russia about this issue. Deals have been inked. In God’s will, we will see S-400 missiles in our country and precede the process with joint production,” Erdogan said to the AKP.
Earlier in July, Bloomberg reported that Ankara agreed to a $2.5 billion U.S. deal with Moscow for four S-400 systems, of which two would be produced in Turkey. Prior to that Russian officials stated that the deal was nearing completion, with the two sides still negotiating on financing.
On July 14, Aselsan, Roketsan and Eurosam – a French-Italian consortium responsible for developing and producing the MBDA S-400 SAMP/T (Surface-to-Air Missile Platform/Terrain) SAM system – signed a deal to collaborate to develop Turkey’s homegrown long-range SAM system.
Erdogan’s recent statements confirm that the S-400 and Turkey-Eurosam programs are parallel initiatives, with the S-400 being sought for near-term procurement.
Following the collapse of its deal with Beijing for HQ-9s, the Turkish Undersecretariat of Defence Industries (SSM) commissioned Aselsan and Roketsan to manage the development of a domestic long-range SAM while the SSK and Turkish Ministry of Defence began talks with overseas vendors.
In November, the head of the SSM Dr. İsmail Demir stated (via the Daily Sabah) that it would “take five to seven years to conclude the [domestic SAM] project.”
The Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf utilizes four anti-air missiles: 40N6 (400 km), 48N6 (250 km), 9M96E2 (120 km) and 9M96E (40 km). Collectively, these missiles position the S-400 as a multi-layered system capable of engaging targets at long-range and short-range as well as high-altitude and low-altitude.
Turkey is poised to be the third S-400 customer following China and India, which have ordered their S-400 systems in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
7 Comments
by Shakeel
Turkey has played it cards wisely on their long range SAM requirements. Pak can learn a lot from sound Turkish acquisition.
We currently seem to be rejoicing over comments made by General Sarah Chand of India who claimed that Pak military ordinance is somehow superior to India’s.
The gullible Pak media think he meant it from a literal gospel sense, yet this distorts the fact that India is exponentially increasing its defence capabilities. His comments underline naive nature of the Pak media.
by jamshed_kharian_pak
Republic of Turkey finally realized there are not better than the neighbors at first
by Steve
Agree with Shakeel. The Turks are a sensible and independent country under Erdogan, with sympathy for fellow Muslims. We need HQ-9 or S-400 immediately as a stopgap, and long term should get involved with the Turks for an indigenous long range SAM. Allied Islamic nations should slowly start to build arms commonality, led by high quality joint manufacturing, and have more exercises together. Maybe the 300 year old dream of a Muslim NATO-type alliance will be realised in 15-20 years, and we will solve our own problems, rather than other outside countries interfering. I’m not talking about the Saudis sponsored fake US puppet ‘Muslim’ NATO, designed to kill fellow Muslims like in Yemen, so that the US is not inconvenienced by having to kill them.
by Headstrong
I truly believe that this is the root of all our issues. When the odd mullah talks like this, one can still understand it. But when the educated also express the wish to unite on the basis of religion, and hark back to the ‘glorious, medieval’ past, then it shows a shocking refusal to recognise the reality of today. And when this includes those purportedly living in the West, including in those outside countries being accused here of interfering, then you really have to wonder if modern education is worth it.
The Westphalian idea of a nation state is the reality. Religion uniting nations is a done concept. The ummah as a concept itself is a mirage today. The schisms existing among Islamic countries is not going away anytime soon. These countries themselves are acting in accordance with their national interests – in most cases, against other fellow Muslim countries. The concept of religion as a basis for a union is most prevalent among the extreme elements such as IS. And, yes, among the more extreme of the RSS lot. But, as the educated and modern, if we cannot rise above such parochialism, then we’re bound to stay rooted to the past.
We are in the 21st century, after all…
by Steve
You follow your path and we will follow ours. Only time will tell which is the better path.
by Headstrong
And you continue to put words into my mouth. I challenge you to point out a single occasion where I have said any of the following: –
1. Advocating India being free of ‘Western’ influence.
2. Presenting Western influence as being good for Muslims. I merely pointed out the dichotomy of someone living in the same West which is apparently ‘interfering’ in Muslim countries (your words, not mine).
3. Implying that the current state of chaos in the Middle East and it being crushed by the Western war machine is a ‘good thing’.
4. Muslim unity is a terrorist idea, and those who advocate it are madressa educated and IS supporter.
I had a fairly limited point – to stop viewing everything through the prism of religion. Unity for EU does not go against Westphalianism – it in fact defines an expanded concept of the idea. It is a natural evolution, so to speak, of the Westphalian nation state, where sovereignty was pooled. Integration turned a zero-sum game into a positive-sum game. But this shared sovereignty had little to do with religion – or as you put it, Christian values. ASEAN also aspires to be like EU – no common religions there.
And as far as being the cause of wars is concerned, that’s a non-sequitur. Men have always found ways and reasons to kill each other. It began with food, then power, then religion, then ideology.
The doctrine of state sovereignty post the Westphalian Treaty purchased order and popular consent at the cost of more competition between states. This system endured until the middle of the 20th century till the World Wars. The EU experiment, what you consider a repeal of Westphalian politics, and which I term its natural expansion, actually appears to be failing as EU appears to be unraveling back to a more conventional Westphalian Europe. Governments once again separate narrow national from wider mutual interests. The world has globalised, but politics remains local. Europe’s states are responding to domestic pressures by seeking to reclaim Westphalian independence.
Another argument which seems to have escaped you is that, while many of you people search for the unity of the Ummah, it is a chimera. Religious unity may have happened at the time of the Crusades in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is not feasible now – at least on the scale you are talking about. I do not have to give you examples – I know you know what I’m talking about. Among Hindus it is even worse – only two Hindu majority countries in the world, and even they bicker endlessly!
Bottom line is that battle cries on the lines of religion may appeal to a few, but can never unite vast numbers of people. We have evolved beyond that. So some RSS thugs may attempt to whip up nationalistic fervour in the form of some mythical Hindutva, but it’ll never catch fire all across India. Sure, some idiots will make a nuisance of themselves, and yes, even cause havoc with rioting etc. But it will never define India. So also for Islam.
Contrary to what you think, ‘Steve’, I have no problem at all with Muslims, much as you would like to believe. I have issues with you people. My previous comments will tell you why.
by Steve
This is odd. This account with the username ‘headstrong’ is shared by different people probably doing shifts. Every time someone different replies to my posts with assorted propaganda and drivel. Always argumentative and nitpicking over semantics. Always with the agenda to talk down Pakistan and Muslims and promote India. Hmmm..contrived and probably paid for services lol.
PS; kindly avoid assumptions of my country of residence. That’s a personal matter and nobody’s business lol.