US proposes sale of Patriot missile system to Turkey

By Tugrul Cam </p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – The U.S. has submitted a proposal for the sale of $3.5 billion Patriot air and missile defense systems to Turkey, Turkish officials said on Tuesday.</p> <p>Representatives of Turkey's foreign and defense ministries and the Defense Industry Presidency met with a visiting U.S. delegation in the capital Ankara, said the officials, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.</p> <p>In the meeting, the U.S. presented its proposal to Turkey for the sale of a Patriot missile system.</p> <p>In December, the U.S. State Department approved a possible sale of Patriot air and missile defense systems to Turkey for an estimated $3.5 billion.</p> <p>According to the Defense Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the State Department approved the sale of 80 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T) missiles, 60 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles, and associated equipment.</p> <p>The sale includes radar sets, engagement control stations, launching stations, communications equipment, tools and test equipment, range and test programs, and support equipment.</p> <p>Turkey had been long trying to purchase the air defense system from the U.S. After finding no success, in 2017 Ankara decided to buy Russian S-400 air defense systems.</p> <p>This move was criticized by the Pentagon, which warned that purchasing the S-400 would hurt Turkish-U.S. ties as well as Turkey's role in NATO, and promised that if Turkey were to call off the S-400 deal, it would provide Turkey with defense systems that meet all of its requirements.</p> <p>But in December, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that even if Turkey bought the Patriot missiles, it would not cancel the S-400 deal.</p> <p>Patriot missiles are used for defense purposes, mainly to shoot down incoming missiles and planes.</p> <p>