Defense News:
MOSCOW — When Turkey in December signed a reported $2.5 billion agreement finalizing the purchase of Russian-made S-400 anti-air missile systems, it guaranteed a future run-in with Washington. That confrontation is upon us, with the upcoming U.S. National Defense Authorization Act including provisions that would freeze Turkey out of the F-35 program.
But beyond politics and the fact that Moscow apparently moved faster in negotiations, how does the S-400 compare? First, there have been no public declarations of joint production of the S-400 with Moscow — a demand that was apparently placed upon the United States.
Therefore, some surmise that Turkey was attempting to bluff its way into getting Washington to agree to a transfer of missile defense technologies in the form of the Patriot system.
