Turkish media including Hurriyet report that Ankara has sold its Russian-made S-400 air defense system to a third country in the Persian Gulf, with one assessment suggesting the buyer is the UAE. If confirmed, the sale would remove the main obstacle to Turkey's re-entry into the F-35 fighter program, but concerns over Israel's air superiority and technology leakage remain.
Turkish media outlets, including the major daily Hurriyet, are reporting that Ankara has sold its Russian-made S-400 air defense system to a third country in the Persian Gulf, with one assessment identifying the United Arab Emirates as the buyer. The report has not been independently confirmed.
If confirmed, the sale would remove the primary obstacle to Turkey's re-entry into the F-35 stealth fighter program, from which the United States expelled Turkey in 2019 after it purchased the S-400 from Russia. Washington argued that the system could be used to gather intelligence on the F-35's stealth capabilities.
The Zioneer has extensively covered the issue. On June 25, a former senior Israeli Air Force officer urged the government to block the potential sale. On June 28, a bipartisan group of U.S. House lawmakers urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to block the sale. Senator Lindsey Graham said on July 7 he would oppose it. On the same day, Israeli analyst Amit Segal argued that Turkey has not earned the trust necessary for the deal, and Col. (res.) Uzi Dayan warned that the combination of Turkish S-400 batteries and F-35s would be dangerous but said the transfer is likely to be blocked.
Even if the S-400 is removed, concerns remain. The U.S. would likely sell a downgraded F-35 variant, but it could still erode Israel's qualitative military edge. There are also fears of technology leakage to Iran, Russia, or China. However, if the S-400 was indeed sold to the UAE, a close U.S. and Israeli ally, the West could gain the opportunity to study the system's capabilities in depth.
5 developments
- StrongErdogan Leverages Trump Ties as Turkey Examines S-400 Transfer or Deactivation for F-35 Return
- DevelopingReport: Turkey to Deploy Radars in Syria, Threatening Israeli Air Force and Iran Flights
- DevelopingRussian air defenses active near Moscow as city remains under alert
- DevelopingShlomo Filber: Trump needs Turkey cooperation against Russia, hugging Erdogan to bend Putin
Source and signal
- Internal intake