The United States has found another way to strengthen the enemy’s air defense system. However, Turkey did not like him very much.

What is known

The United States offered Turkey to send S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (according to NATO codification – SA-21 Growler) to Ukraine. Foreign Minister Mevlu Cavusoglu (Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu) said that Turkey abandoned this idea because it violates the sovereignty and independence of the state.

The purchase of the S-400 cost Turkey dearly. The cost of the transaction amounted to $2.5 billion, but in this case we are not talking about the price, but about what Ankara has lost. The United States tried several times to convince Turkey to abandon Russian air defense systems, arguing this as a threat to national security.

In the summer of 2019, the US authorities said that Russian anti-aircraft missile systems are not compatible with other NATO defense systems and pose a threat to the security of the Alliance countries. The decision to acquire the S-400 left Turkey without fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters. Ankara was part of the F-35 development program office and wanted to order 100 aircraft.

General Todd Walters, Commander of NATO Allied Forces in Europe, spoke at the NATO Security Forum in Bratislava in 2019. He stated that the Alliance is not interested in sharing the capabilities of fifth-generation aircraft with Russia.

The US Department of Defense feared that if Turkey ordered the S-400, the Russian military would have access to the F-35 and be able to learn about the vulnerabilities of the fifth generation fighter. This will threaten the safety of American pilots. As a result, Turkey was excluded from the F-35 program and for several years has not been able to agree on the purchase of upgraded fourth-generation F-16 Viper Block 70/72 fighter jets in the amount of $20 billion.

Source: Haberturk