{"id":67574,"date":"2019-07-15T23:02:07","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T23:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/15\/russian-planes-continue-to-deliver-parts-for-missile-defense-system-to-turkey\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:45:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:45:59","slug":"russian-planes-continue-to-deliver-parts-for-missile-defense-system-to-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/15\/russian-planes-continue-to-deliver-parts-for-missile-defense-system-to-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian planes continue to deliver parts for missile defense system to Turkey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ANKARA, Turkey \u2014 Turkey hopes to co-produce high-tech weaponry systems with Russia in the future, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, further defying its NATO ally the United States, which has warned the country of possible sanctions over its purchase of a Russian-made missile defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Turkish leader made the comments Monday, hours after two more Russian cargo planes landed in Turkey to deliver parts of the Russian-made S-400 missile system <\/a>that Ankara is acquiring from Russia despite strong U.S. objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey said \u2018They can\u2019t buy them.\u2019 They said \u2018They can\u2019t deploy them anywhere.\u2019 They said \u2018It\u2019s not right to buy them\u2019 and as of today, the eighth plane has arrived and has started to unload its contents,\u201d said Erdogan, adding that the system would be fully deployed in less than a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod willing, in April 2020 we\u2019ll bring (the deployment) to an end, and with that, we\u2019ll be among the limited number of countries in the world in terms of air defense systems,\u201d he said. \u201cNow the goal is joint production with Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Military
Military vehicles and equipment, parts of the S-400 air defense systems, are unloaded from a Russian transport aircraft, at Murted military airport in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, July 12, 2019. (Turkish Defence Ministry via AP, Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, the Turkish defense ministry said two more Russian cargo planes landed at the Murted Air Base near the capital, Ankara, bringing the Russian-made S-400 systems\u2019 components for the fourth day running. They were the eighth and ninth planes to land at Murted since Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. has repeatedly warned Turkey that it will impose sanctions on the NATO-member country and exclude it from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program if Ankara doesn\u2019t drop its S-400 purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\t