Turkey might not need Russian S-400 batteries in order to protect itself as its homegrown equipment increasingly takes on that role, a major Turkish manufacturer said in comments likely to be welcomed by Washington, Bloomberg reports.
The chairman of defense equipment manufacturer Aselsan Elektronik Sanayi said Turkey was working to develop its own Siper missile-defense system which has hit targets at a range of 100 kilometers (60 miles) in tests.
The US sanctioned Turkey and barred it from working on and receiving Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 stealth jets after it acquired S-400 missiles from Russia in 2019. Ankara has been urging the US to scrap the sanctions and for Congress to approve the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
