America to Turkey: No Patriot Missiles Until S-400s are Returned to Russia

Following signs of Turkish interest in acquiring the American Patriot long range surface to air missile system, U.S. Defence Department spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman stated regarding the preconditions for a sale: "Turkey is not going to receive a Patriot battery unless it returns the S-400.” The U.S. has also in the past suggested that Turkey destroy its S-400 batteries to avoid the threat of sanctions. Turkey is set to activate its first units of long range air defence systems in April, a battalion of S-400 system purchased from Russia and delivered from July 2019. With Ankara threatened with economic sanctions over the purchase, as part of broader Western efforts to cut off Russia’s arms exports by threatening potential clients, Turkey’s move to acquire the much more expensive Patriot system has been widely interpreted as a concession to Washington to avoid economic penalties.

The S-400 was chosen over the Patriot and its Chinese rival the HQ-9B due to its considerably superior capabilities, which include the ability to engage over eight times as many targets simultaneously, double the engagement range and the ability to engage targets at hypersonic speeds. The S-400’s sensor suite is also considerably more powerful, allowing it to detect stealth aircraft and radar evading cruise missiles at considerable distances. The Russian system can deploy over three times as many classes of surface to air missile, allowing it to provide a multi layered defence in a way the Patriot cannot. By denying Turkey the ability to acquire the Patriot as part of a political purchase, the United States has effectively guaranteed that Turkey will be placed under economic sanctions as soon as it actives the Russian built defence systems.