Report: Turkey to buy $4b long-range missile system
In response to regional tensions, Turkey is looking to buy new air
defense missile system, daily Zaman reports.
By DPA and Haaretz | Jun.13, 2012 | 1:40 PM | 16
Turkey is planning to spend 4 billion dollars on a new long-range air
defense missile system, in response to increasing regional tensions,
the pro-government daily Zaman reported Wednesday.
According to the report, four systems are under consideration: The US
PAC-3 Patriot missile system, Russia’s S400, China’s FD2000 and the
SAMP-T missile produced by the French Italian consortium Eurosam.
A decision on which system Turkey will buy is due to be made at a
meeting of the Defence Industry Committee chaired by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which is scheduled for July 4.
According to Zaman, the decision to buy a long-range missile system
was taken because of the increased deployment of similar long-range
systems throughout the region.
In September, Turkey declared it will suspend all defense industry
ties with Israel, after the the diplomatic relations between the two
countries were downgraded.
The decision was seen as part of a series of penalizing measures
against Israel over the latter’s refusal to apologize for killing nine
Turkish nationals on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
