Russia has completed the second stage of delivery of S-400 air defence missile system components to Turkey, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Sunday, as Sputnik news site reported.
“The deliveries of elements of the second battery of the S-400 air defence missile systems to the Murted airbase, which began on August 27, has completed today,” the statement said.
According to the ministry, personnel training and the instalment of the systems is currently in progress. The systems are expected to become operational by April 2020, the statement adds.
Russia completed the first shipment of its S-400 air defence systems to Turkey in summer amid US pressure on Ankara to drop the agreement with Moscow. The US offered Ankara Patriot missiles – a system they initially refused to sell to Turkey – as an alternative to the S-400. However, Turkey declined the offer and opted for the S-400s over the Patriots due to the better deal terms offered by Russia.
The first stage of the supply of S-400 parts to Turkey was completed at the end of July. The deliveries took a total of 30 special flights.
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