Turkey expects to start receiving the Russian S-400 air defense system in July and rejects a US offer to buy Patriot’s defense systems

A Turkish official said on Wednesday that the first unit of the Russian S-400 air defense system, which Turkey’s purchase has begun to strain relations with the United States, will begin in October.

“The delivery will start in July and the system will be installed and activated by October”, Ismail Demir, director of Turkey’s defense industry, told Turkish TV channel NTV.

Turkey will be the first NATO country to acquire a Russian surface-to-air missile system.

The S400 is not compatible with NATO systems.

Ankara has said more than once that it will implement the agreement to buy Russian systems S400 – despite opposition from Washington.

The Turkish media quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying earlier that there is no return on the implementation of the agreement.

US officials have warned that Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems would jeopardize the sale of F-35s to Turkey and could also lead to US sanctions.

US officials set an informal deadline for Ankara, which ended on February 15 to respond to a rival US offer to buy Patriot systems.