After the invasion launched by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, the geopolitical strategy of the states experienced a continuous dynamic according to each one’s own interests. Now, a NATO member country, Turkey, is angering the United States after Ankara decided to deploy an S-400 defense system sent by Russia.
Turkey wants to deploy its advanced Russian S-400 air defense system to its border with Iraq, but US officials have warned Ankara not to “activate” it, according to Business Insider.
Turkey may deploy its advanced Russian S-400 Triumf air defense system to the border with Iraq for its planned summer offensive against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, in Iraq. Such a move would mark the first operational deployment of the missile system since Ankara received it in 2019, much to Western chagrin.
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The Turkiye newspaper reported earlier this month that Turkey’s S-400 systems could be deployed to the border to defend against drones allegedly acquired by the PKK. But the system is effective against larger threats than drones. It is designed to shoot down cruise and ballistic missiles like those launched by Iran in its unprecedented April 13 attack on Israel, and its deployment could exacerbate tensions with other NATO allies angered that Turkey actually has them.
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The S-400 deal cost Turkey about $2.5 billion. Indirectly, it cost it far more than the more than $9 billion in losses it could have incurred from manufacturing more than 900 parts for the global F-35 supply chain.
Washington has barred Ankara from buying the F-35 over fears it would give Russian technicians data that would compromise the fighter jet’s secrets. On top of all this, the US has imposed sanctions on Turkey’s arms procurement agency.
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While enduring these sanctions, Turkey never put the S-400 into service. After the system was delivered, US officials warned Turkey against “activating” it. Turkey tested its F-16 and F-4 fighter jets against the S-400 radar in late 2019. Washington strongly reprimanded Ankara in October 2020 for announcing it was testing the system.
Since then, there has been no indication that Turkey’s S-400 systems have been put into service. In November 2022, then-Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated that Ankara “has no problems with the S-400” and that the system “is in place and ready for use”.
Its alleged upcoming deployment to the Iraqi border would be the first time Turkey’s S-400 systems have been put into service, five years after Ankara received them. Ali Bakir, an expert on Turkey at Qatar University’s Ibn Khaldon Center is skeptical of the report, but does not rule out the possibility outright.
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“This could be a trial balloon, an operational requirement due to the foreign threat in northern Iraq, where Turkish troops are stationed, or simply fake news,” Bakir said. “If the S-400 is deployed for operational needs, it could be to counter Iran’s potential ballistic missile threat.”
Even if Turkey’s other air defenses are capable of countering air threats from the PKK, Turkey needs an advanced system to intercept ballistic missiles fired from Iran.
“Given that Ankara has stationed troops in northern Iraq, it would make more sense to deploy such a system to protect them during escalation or regional confrontation,” Bakir said. “Iran Has Lately Used Missiles Against Northern Iraq”.
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