Aircraft
Turkey Considers Russian or European Missile Systems—Or Both
A highly politicized search for ground-based long-range air defense continues.
Has Turkey now settled on the Eurosam SAMP/T system to meet its long-range air defense requirement? (Photo: Eurosam)
Has Turkey now settled on the Eurosam SAMP/T system to meet its long-range air defense requirement? (Photo: Eurosam)

The saga of Turkey’s quest for a ground-based long-range air and missile defense system (LORAMIDS) took a new turn last month when, within two weeks, defense minister Fikri Isik announced deals with both Russia and the Eurosam consortium. Turkey has been wanting to acquire such a system for many years, and in 2013 it initially accepted an offer from China that was worth a reported $3.4 billion. But the deal was never sealed after objections from the leadership of NATO, of which Turkey is a key member (although an increasingly unreliable one).


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