Air defense

S-400 Boosts Turkey's Position in Mediterranean in NATO Nightmare - German Media

Although the US has been trying to talk Turkey out of purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defence systems, Ankara seems to have refused to back down. A journalist at the German outlet Stern, Gernot Kramper, points out that the deal could become a huge problem for NATO, as Moscow could eventually gain access to the alliance’s technology.

After purchasing and deploying four batteries of the Russian-made S-400 air defence missile systems, Turkey would increase its influence in the eastern Mediterranean enormously, changing its geostrategic position, German journalist Gernot Kramper notes in his article for the magazine Stern. According to him, nobody will be able to operate in the area against Ankara’s will. He points out that although the US has dominated the air globally, the S-400 poses a danger even to stealth jets. So while the system is a bestseller for the Kremlin, it is a nightmare for NATO, he explains.

The author points out that the US had refused to provide Turkey with similar weapons for a long time. Even during the war in Syria, US-made Patriot air defence batteries belonging only to other countries were meant to defend Turkey. Kramper concludes that “Ankara has learned that Turkey is only a second-class ally”.