Despite warnings from the international community and particularly the United States, Turkey is determined to proceed with the purchase of the Russian missiles defense system S-400. And not only that. Ankara is threatening its neighbour Greece, to use the S-400 along the Turkish coasts on the Aegean Sea in order to “avert violations of its air space by Greek fighter jets.”
According to an article posted on Turkish daily Milliyet, the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces is still considering the location of some 250 S-400 and while no final decision has been taken yet with the country’s political leadership, the missiles will be installed at the coast of Marmara Sea (area of Istanbul). The Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the borders with Syria, in South-East Turkey.
Under consideration is also the option to install the Russian system also in East Thrace that has director land borders to Greece.
On the West coast of turkey, Ankara considers to install the S-400 near Izmir or Mugla “where Greece is very often involved in airspace violations,” so Milliyet.
To defend its southern borders in East Mediterranean Sea, Turkey is considering Mersin and Adana opposite of Cyprus.
“In any case, placing the S-400 at Turkey’s border will ensure a regular superiority to its neighbors,” the Turk-ish newspaper suggests noting that Turkey will control 400 km. estimates, as “Turkey’s air-defense capacity will increase, but it will, in particular, en-sure a psychological and regular superiority over its neighbors.”
As experts say, the anti-ballistic system of the S-400 may be limited, but it will bring significant benefits to Turkey in its high-altitude air defense. Be-cause, according to the system’s characteristics, the range of the S-400 missile reaches up to 570-600 kilometers, meaning the system can detect aircraft in the air and monitor their activities.
For example, the system will be able to detect large bombers at a distance of 570 km, F-16 fighter jests at a distance of approximately 400 km. The system will also be able to detect ballistic missiles at a distance of 230-250 km.
