NATO deploys new Patriot battery to Turkey as Fidan in Riyadh for regional talks
The deployment to a key Turkish airbase likely signals NATO planners’ heightened concern over Turkey’s military assets.
ANKARA — NATO is deploying another Patriot missile defense system to southern Turkey after Iranian ballistic missiles entered its airspace in recent days, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Wednesday as Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan heads to Saudi Arabia for regional talks.
What happened: The additional Patriot system will be deployed to the southern province of Adana after three Iranian ballistic missiles entered Turkish airspace and were intercepted by NATO air defense systems in recent days.
“In addition to the Spanish Patriot system currently deployed in Adana, another Patriot system assigned by Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, is also being deployed to Adana,” a Turkish Defense Ministry official told journalists on background at a briefing.
Adana is home to Incirlik Air Base, a key Turkish air base that hosts Turkish forces as well as US and other NATO personnel, serving as a key NATO logistical hub for allied aircraft and logistics infrastructure.
