Chief of Staff Akar, Russian counterpart Gerasimov discuss S-400, Middle East
Turkish chief of general staff met his Russian counterpart in Ankara, according to a statement by the Turkish military on Friday evening.
- World
- Daily Sabah
- Published Date: 12:00 | 15 December 2017
- Modified Date: 09:06 | 15 December 2017
Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar held a meeting with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov on Friday in Ankara.
The generals discussed the situation in Iraq and Syria, and the fight against terrorist groups and the S-400 missile defense system Turkey has approved to buy from Russia.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the purchase of S-400 system from Russia will be finalized this week, during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ankara.
The S-400 is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.
The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers.
With the purchase of the S-400's, Ankara aims to build Turkey's first long-range air and anti-missile defense system to guard against threats in the region. Moreover, Turkey seeks to build its own missile defense systems as the S-400 deal also involves the transfer of technology and know-how.
The S-400 missiles, which were introduced in 2007, are the new generation of Russian missile systems, and so far Russia has only sold them to China and India.