Germany plans to deploy the Patriot air defense system in Türkiye
Berlin plans to deploy a Patriot air defense battery to Türkiye as part of a NATO rotational mission, the German Defense Ministry announced Monday.
The German Defense Ministry explained that approximately 150 soldiers, along with the Patriot missile defense system, will be transferred from the northern city of Husum, located on the North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein to Türkiye between the end of June and September.
It stated that the system consists of eight launchers, in addition to a radar unit and a fire control center.
The German unit will replace an American unit currently stationed in Türkiye, as part of a rotation process between NATO countries.
The American unit was tasked with strengthening Turkish defenses in response to Iranian missile attacks targeting US allies in the region, in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks that began against Iran on February 28.
The NATO forces announced that they had shot down Iranian ballistic missiles over Türkiye at least three times since the start of the war.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said his country “bears greater responsibility within NATO,” adding that “the close cooperation between our soldiers and our Turkish and American partners demonstrates how reliable our cooperation is with our allies”.
Germany previously deployed Patriot missile systems in Türkiye between 2013 and 2015 to help protect its airspace during the war in Syria.
The US Patriot mobile air defense system is designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, low-altitude cruise missiles, and aircraft.
