In July 2017, Turkey signed the deal to acquire the S-400 air defense system from Russia
in spite of intense opposition from the U.S and NATO.
It received its first installment of the Russian S-400 missile defense system on 12 July 2019.
Turkey had insisted that since it currently had only the Cold War era
surface-to-air missile systems, it required an upgrade and S-400 fits in perfectly.
Erdogan was quoted by NTV as saying: "One S-400 is worth three Patriots.
If the conditions are even equal to the S-400 (deal),
we would buy Patriots, but if they are not, then we have to think of our interests,”
Turkey was ejected from the F-35 program due to this since it was felt that the move could
compromise the stealth fighter as through S-400, Russia may be able to gather technical data
such as the radar signature of F 35 as well as gain access to the cloud-based, multi-national
Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) which has critical mission data and flight routes.
Many experts had suggested that Turkey was playing a double game
and actively trying to weaken NATO from the inside. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
seems to have left Russia high and dry when it really mattered.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how Turkey has ditched Russia at a crucial time?
Let's get started.
Over the past few months, many video clips have emerged on the social media platforms
showing Turkish combat drones Bayraktar TB2 destroying Russian tanks,
and convoys as President Putin's forces tried to make inroads into the country.
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has put up footage
of the Bayraktar combat drones wreaking havoc on Russian forces.
The drone is thought to have played a crucial role in the sinking of the Russian black sea
fleet flagship Moskva when it was used to distract the air defense of the warship
as Neptune Anti-Ship missiles hurled toward it.
The Bayraktar TB2 is an armed medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE)
unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight
operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish Company Baykar Defence,
primarily for the Turkish Armed Forces and is developed from TB1.
The drone is monitored and controlled by aircrew
in the Ground Control Station, including weapons employment, via Türksat satellite.
The drone now has a cult-like following in Ukraine.
Recently, the Turkish defense manufacturer Baykar said it had turned down $20 million in crowdfunded
cash to buy its drones for Ukraine and will donate three military drones to the country instead.
It is important to note here that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's son-in-law is a top director of
Baykar Defense and at least the discretionary donations could have been easily avoided.
It is evident that Erdogan is not making life easy for Putin.
Russian and Turkish news outlets reported that Mr. Putin led Erdogan to Su-57 which is developed
by Sukhoi, at the annual MAKS-2019 air show at Zhukovsky International Airport outside Moscow.
According to the Associated Press, Erdogan looked into the cockpit of the Su-57
and asked whether it was available for sale. Mr. Putin is said to have smiled and said,
"Yes, you can buy it” Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper
reported that Erdogan and Putin also had a private conversation for over an hour.
But the latest news shows a major shift in stance.
While Su-57 and Su-35 fighters were initially thought to be strong contenders
to replace the aging fleet of F16s, especially the older Block 30 models,
after it was ejected from the F-35 program,
it has now come to light that it is no longer planning to purchase any of the Russian fighters.
Ankara has now expressed interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets instead,
according to Russian journalists who have knowledge of the topic.
This is undoubtedly a major setback for Moscow which has been actively looking for a partner
for investment after India moved out of the Su-57 program citing fundamental design flaws.
Russia accounts for nearly 19% of worldwide weapons shipments. However,
according to the latest Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report
titled, ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers’, Russian arms export fell by 26% between 2012 and
2016 followed by a steep fall in its global share from 24% to 19% between 2017 and 2021.
Turkish's rejection couldn't have come at a worse time for Russia.
Finland and Sweden -the two Nordic nations announced their intentions
to join Nato in May, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mr. Stoltenberg had suggested the process could move
"very quickly" as they already shared a close relationship with the alliance.
Turkey had objected to this. It accused the two countries of protecting Kurdish militants and
said it would not back their membership. Any Nato enlargement must be approved by all 30 members,
Sweden and Finland could not join Nato without Turkey's support.
But now the situation has changed.
The two countries have agreed to some of Turkey's demands,
and militants will face a crackdown under amendments to Swedish and Finnish law,
in return Turkey has agreed to support Nordic nations' membership of the alliance.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye, President Sauli Niinistö of Finland
and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden met in Madrid on Tuesday (28 June 2022)
along with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
In that meeting, the leaders agreed on a trilateral memorandum to address Türkiye’s
legitimate security concerns, paving the way for Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership.