US warns of 'grave consequences' if Turkey buys S-400s

By Umar Farooq</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – The U.S. warned of &quot;grave consequences&quot; Friday if Turkey purchases the Russian S-400 missile defense system because it could affect the deal for F-35 fighter jets and the Patriot missile system.</p> <p>Pentagon spokesman Charles Summers told reporters Turkey's decision to accept the Russian defense system &quot;would mean that they would not have access to the Patriots and the F-35s.</p> <p>&quot;If Turkey takes the S400s there will be grave consequences in terms of our military relationship with them and with the Patriots and the F-35s,&quot; Summers said.</p> <p>He did not provide any additional consequences.</p> <p>Earlier this week, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti told a Senate committee he hopes Turkey would reconsider its decision to purchase the S-400 system.</p> <p>Scaparrotti, who also serves as NATO's top commander, pointed to several problems the Russian system poses, including lack of interoperability with NATO systems and said the S-400 is &quot;a problem to all of our aircraft, but specifically the F-35, I believe.&quot;</p> <p>After protracted efforts to purchase air defense systems from the U.S. with no success, Ankara decided in 2017 to buy Russian S-400 air defense systems.</p> <p>The move was criticized by the Pentagon, which warned that purchasing the S-400 would hurt Turkish-U.S. relations and Turkey's role in NATO.</p> <p>Washington has cautioned the S-400 system might covertly obtain critical information on the advanced fighter jets, including their detection range, which could then be relayed to Russia.</p> <p>But Turkish officials said Ankara would not go back on its agreement with Russia, even if it were to also buy the Patriot system.</p> <p>Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stressed Ankara purchasing the S-400s from Russia is &quot;not a choice but a necessity.&quot; </p> <p>Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week Ankara and Washington have begun negotiating the potential purchase of Patriot missile defense systems from the U.S.</p> <p>The State Department approved in December a possible $3.5 billion sale of Patriot systems to Turkey that includes advanced radar systems, control centers, launching systems and guided missiles. </p> <p>Ankara is planning to purchase 100 F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. pending congressional approval, and its pilots are currently training on the weapons platform at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.</p> <p>Turkish firms also supply the F-35 program with key components, including airframe structures and assemblies, and the center fuselages.</p> <p>On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara finalized a deal on purchasing the S-400 missile system from Russia, and that in the future &quot;we may work with S-500s,&quot; the next-generation Russian missile system.</p> <p>Akar added starting this October, the S-400 systems will be installed in Turkey, adding that the Turkish Air Force is working on where to deploy the missiles.</p> <p>*Kasim Ileri contributed to this story