Russia Agrees to Share S-400 Technology with Turkey

Russia has agreed to share technology of its S-400 missile air defence system with Turkey regarding which it has entered into a contract to sell several batteries for an estimated US$2.5 billion.

“Putin [Russian President] has told us we may take steps for joint production,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the daily Aksam in an interview Sunday as quoted in several Turkish and Russian media.

Referring to reports that Moscow has refused to part with technology for its potential manufacture in Turkey, Cavusoglu said, “we have heard no official refusal on that score. If Russia’s attitude is negative, we may clinch a deal with another country," he said.

"We must purchase them (S-400) urgently, because we need them. We’ve got to protect our airspace. But if some anti-Russia-minded countries do not want Turkey to purchase S-400 from it, then they must provide their alternative," Cavusoglu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on September 12 that Ankara had signed a contract with Moscow for purchasing S-400 air defense systems and that a deposit had been put down already.

Russia has last week agreed to part with some of the technology of the S-400 in a potential deal to sell the air defence system to Saudi Arabia. A Memorandum of Understanding between Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and Rosoboronexport specifies that should Saudi Arabia buy then S-400, then some of its parts and components would be manufactured by SAMI.