Turkey to purchase anti-air complexes worth $4 billion

Turkey plans to spend over $4 billion on long-range anti-air complexes. A tender may be announced on July 4, Lenta.ru reports.

The tender to purchase the complexes was announced in 2009. PAC-3 Patriot (Raytheon and Lockheed Martin), European SAMP/T with Aster 30 missiles, Russian S-300 and S-400 and Chinese HQ-9 of CPMIEC (a rip off of S-300V) were the main objects for consideration.

NATO warned Turkey in August 2011 that using it would stop exchange of data, should Turkey purchase Russian or Chinese models. Washington and Ankara signed an agreement on setting up the AN/TPY-2 THAAD radar in Turkey’s Malatya. it is part of the Patriot complex. The radar would warn about Iranian missile threats.