Turkey hasn’t activated Russian S-400s: Cavusoglu

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed today that S-400 missile systems it bought from Russia have not yet been activated.

“The S-400s are not yet active. Our soldiers know what to do with activating the S-400. We bought this system because we needed it urgently,” the minister said during an interview with CNN Turk TV channel.

Activation of the systems was supposed to take place in April, but it appears the process got postponed owing to the current COVID-19 situation. Turkey has reportedly tested western jets, including F-16s, against S-400s twice till date. A Turkish defense ministry official ‘confirmed’ to Russia’s TASS that such a test involving F-16s took place last November.

The revelation by Cavusoglu puts to rest speculations of the air defense system tracking F-22 and F-35 stealth jets in flights over the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea, in July. AviaPro news agency wrote S-400 radars based in Mürted Lanud detected the presence of American jets thrice.