How Turkey is planning to handle US blowback over S-400s
Some parts of the Russian made S-400 missile system arrived in Ankara in the last several days, but none of the shipment included missiles.
While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that the Russian-made S-400 missile system will be fully operational by April 2020, the first fleet of the S-400s is expected to be operational no later than November, security sources told Al-Monitor.
A number of S-400 system shipments made it to Turkey in recent days, and their contents may be providing important clues about how Ankara plans to handle possible US blowback over the S-400 deal.
On July 12, three Antonov An-124 cargo planes of the Russian air force landed at Ankara’s Murted Air Base with the first batch of S-400 components.
Turkey’s Defense Industries Management (SSB) issued a press release confirming the delivery, noting that it had signed an agreement with Russia's Rosoboronexport, which manufactures the S-400s.
