Amid Turkish efforts to advance the development of its indigenous air defense system Steel Dome, local media have begun reporting that Russia has made initial assessments and contacts to move forward with a potential repurchase of the S-400 systems sold to the Turkish Armed Forces in 2017. The possibility that Moscow might proceed with such an acquisition, according to reports, would be tied to the depletion of its own inventories due to the war in Ukraine, as well as a growing demand from third countries interested in the platform to strengthen their own defense networks.
Although this is still unconfirmed news from either government, it is nonetheless of great interest given its various implications, both militarily and politically. For Turkey, the S-400s have proven problematic in the latter aspect, as their acquisition represented a breaking point in its defense relations with the U.S. In particular, Ankara was expelled from the F-35 fighter program and faced sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
This is no minor issue, as a potential Russian repurchase of the S-400s could open the door for Turkey to seek reentry into the F-35 program, as speculated since October of last year. Furthermore, distancing itself from Russia could pave the way for other modernization projects sought by the Turkish government, such as upgrades to its fleet of F-16 fighters.
It is worth noting that previous transfer proposals, which could have improved relations, were rejected by Turkey, arguing that they represented what was called “an infringement of Turkish sovereignty”—words expressed in 2023 by former Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in response to a U.S. request to send the S-400s to Ukraine.
Similarly, Ankara rejected proposals that would have placed control of the batteries in U.S. hands, thus preventing them from collecting tracking data on F-35s operated by other NATO members. In both cases, the underlying concern was that such a decision would strain relations with Russia and create legal complications, issues now sidestepped as Moscow itself would take the initiative.
At the same time, it should be mentioned that Russia would already have new clients for the S-400 platform should the deal go through—namely India. As reported on September 8, New Delhi is negotiating with Moscow to purchase such systems in order to bolster its air defense capabilities in regions bordering Pakistan, a country against which it has recently carried out military operations and with which it has been at odds for several decades.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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