The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $3.5 billion sale of Patriot air and missile defense systems to Turkey, the Pentagon said.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the State Department had approved the sale of 80 Patriot guidance-enhanced missiles and 60 other missiles to Ankara along with related equipment, including radar sets, engagement control stations and launching stations, Reuters reported.
Ankara passed over the Patriot system twice, first choosing a Chinese system before turning to the Russian S-400 system in 2017. U.S. and NATO officials have repeatedly warned Ankara that the S-400 system cannot be integrated into the NATO air and missile defense system and that purchasing the S-400 system would jeopardize Turkey’s purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
