Russia Working to Sign Second S-400 Deal With Turkey

Russia is trying to sell a second batch of S-400 Triumph air defense systems to Turkey, after completion of deliveries under the first contract.

“The obligation was fulfilled ahead of schedule and the S-400s were delivered to Turkey. That was the first contract of this scale to a NATO country, the amount of the contract was $ 2.5 billion. Now we are working out a possibility of supplying a second batch of the systems,” Sergei Chemezov, head of state-owned Rostec said while reporting to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

Although U.S.-Turkey tensions nosedived after the latter bought S-400s in 2017, it has soured even more after shipment of the systems to Turkey began last year.

Ankara has deployed two batteries of the S-400 ADS are located at Mürted Lanud. According to reports, Turkish S-400s recently tracked F-35 and F-22 stealth fighters in flights over the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These systems were also reportedly tested against F-16 fighters in November 2019.