Russia, Turkey may sign new contract on S-400 systems in 2020
Russia plans to sign a new contract with Turkey to supply its S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in the first half of 2020, the head of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, said, according to RIA Novosti news agency.
“We hope that in the first half of 2020 we will sign contract documents,” RIA cited Mikheev as saying.
Ankara's purchase of the S-400s has been a major factor souring relations with the United States, which says the system is not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter jets.
The provincial governor's office announced on Sunday that the Turkish Air Force F-16s and other aircraft will conduct low- and high-altitude flights over Ankara on Monday and Tuesday to test an air defense system project.
Broadcaster CNN Turk and other media said specifically that the flights were to test the S-400 radar system. Ankara began receiving the S-400s last July but they are not yet operational. [Reuters]
