ANKARA, December 11. /TASS/. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler has said that the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems his country purchased from Russia will remain in the army's inventory, to be used as necessary.
"The S-400 is a defensive weapon. If we are attacked, won't we use the weapon in response? Our army knows on a professional level what to do and how to do it. If a situation that requires the use of defensive weapons arises, then people who have questions about these weapons will see how the S-400 or our other air defense systems will be used," he said during an NTV TV broadcast, commenting on the ongoing speculation on social media that Turkey is planning to use the S-400.
Turkey purchased four divisions of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia for $2.5 billion. In October 2019, Rosoboronexport (Russia's defense export agency) announced that these items had been delivered. At that time, Turkey’s arsenal did not include any systems that could rival the S-400's air defense capabilities. Head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev said in August 2022 that the contract for the shipment of the second division of S-400 missile systems to Turkey has been signed, with the system’s individual components being produced in Turkey as part of the deal.