Turkey Starts Development of Long-Range Air Defense System - Erdogan

Sputnik News

16:45 31.10.2018(updated 16:46 31.10.2018)

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his country had begun developing an indigenous long-range air defense system.

"We need our own long-range air defense system, and today we are taking the first step toward this goal. We started developing an indigenous system, which will be called the Siper. Its first tests are planned to be held by the end of 2021," Erdogan said at a presentation of new domestic defense technologies in Ankara.

In April, Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport's director general said that Russia had started manufacturing S-400 systems for Turkey.

The Russia-Turkey deal has prompted disagreements between Turkey and the US, with the latter threatening to impose sanctions against the former, as the United States believes that the weapon is incompatible with NATO's defenses.

In mid-April, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell said Ankara's purchase of the S-400 air defense missile systems from Russia could negatively affect the delivery of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.

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