Turkey has received the first shipment of the S-400 missile system on June 12.

Procurement contract of S-400 Long-Range Air Defence Missile System regarding the meeting of air missile defence requirement of Turkey was signed on 11 April 2017.

Within the scope of the contract, deployment of the first party materials concerning the S-400 long range air defence missile system to Murted Air Base/Ankara started as of 12 July 2019.

“Three planes were planned for today. As planned, all the aircraft arrived and all activities planned for today have been completed. This process will continue in the coming days,” Hulusi Akar told reporters.

Stressing the threats facing Turkey, Akar pointed to the country’s longstanding efforts to acquire long-range air and missile defense systems.

“There are some principles that we have set in this regard. In line with these principles, we have had negotiations with China, Russia, the U.S., and France. These negotiations showed us that Russia is the most compatible country,” Akar said.

Telling how the contract to purchase the S-400s from Russia was signed in April 2017, Akar said three aircraft had carried components of the systems to Murted Air Base in Ankara.

“The training of our personnel for installing and operating [the Russian S-400s] has been ongoing in both Turkey and Russia,” said Akar, adding that the process would continue in the coming days.

Source: www.defenceandtechnology.com