Pentagon: Turkey has begun testing its new Russian air defense system

[Tanuki]

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/13/turkey-has-begun-testing-its-new-russian-s-400-air-defense-system-pentagon-says.html/amp?__twitter_impression=true

"Turkey will have to ditch the advanced S-400 air defense system bought from Russia for $2.5 billion as a first step in improving relations with the U.S. and NATO, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

"If Turkey wants to come back in the fold, the path forward is to get rid of the S-400," said Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon's chief spokesman.

The S-400 Triumf has been billed by Moscow as effective against the stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Turkey can't just "keep it in a warehouse and lock it up. They need to divest themselves of that weapons system," Hoffman said. "We have received no indication that they have reversed course and are seeking to go in a different direction."

Instead, Turkey has begun testing the system, said Rear Adm. William D. Byrne, Jr., vice director of the joint Staff, who joined Hoffman at the briefing.

"We're aware that there was some testing going on," Byrne said, but "we have no indication that it's employed in the field."
.....(more)

[marble falls]

1. Good for them. And gee thanks "president" Trump for so much winning. You're right. I AM tired of it.

[roamer65]

2. Get the nukes out of Turkey and kick it out of NATO.

Bare minimum for its Russia coddling.

[Xolodno]

3. On one hand, I can't blame them.

Our Patriot missile system upgrades have been minimal, we focus way too much on offensive weapons. Plus they still do the job against older planes, drones and surface to surface missiles...and if memory serves me correctly, it wasn't even built for the latter....just one of the fringe benefits.

The S-400 on the other hand, was built specifically to target US stealth aircraft and can take a lot of shit out of the sky. Lets give credit where credit is due, its primary purpose is a defense weapon and its a damn good one. But that leads to other questions...

1. Why is Turkey doing this? They don't exactly have a good historical relationship with Russia...particularly when one of its unpublished goals is to liberate Constantinople. Which means the "Ottomans" now see Europe as a greater threat.

2. Getting rebuffed from joining the EU.

3. A constant Greece vs. Turkey Cold War that hasn't been resolved by NATO, obviously fed but not unfounded paranoia. And Russia has made overtures to Greece which they haven't initially taken (think that if the bail out terms for them was worse...things would have been different in a bad way for us). So its in their interest to schmooze up to Russia on the Greece issue.

4. They think NATO is going to dissolve. And that means a lot of old hostilities are going to resume. Thus, get the best defense systems that they can get....no matter who it comes from.

5. What if we were behind the attempt to overthrow Edrogan? Not saying it was Obama, but perhaps an operation ordered by Bush/Cheney and ordered to be kept secret to whoever was President.

And why would Russia sell to a centuries old enemy?

1. Turkey gives them more influence in the mid east.

2. They are less inclined to turn Hagga Sophia back into a mosque.

3. A lot of oil pipeline routes have to go through Turkey.

4. They can force Azerbaijan to behave.

5. The possibility they can influence the "Ottomans" like another centuries old nation, the Persians.