Turkey received more than 120 missiles for S-400 air defense systems.

Russia has supplied more than 120 surface-to-air missiles to Turkey following the acceptance act signed by Turkey and Russia in December 2019, Russian news agency Tass reported on Monday, Jan.19, 2020.

S-400 Triumf air defense system displayed at Army-2019 near Kubinka (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The supply of S-400 missile defense systems components started in July 2019. Russia has also delivered auxiliary equipment, spare parts and tools, Tass quoted the unnamed source as saying, but the contract with Turkey did not include at all any “technology transfer, even partial.”

Last December, Turkish Defense Industry Director İsmail Demir told that Turkey would naturally use the experience obtained through the S-400 systems when developing its own system later, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said in June that Moscow’s S-400 deal with Ankara envisaged a partial handover of technologies, this statement being questioned now, it seems.

Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar last week said the system would reach full operational stage in April or May 2020.