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16214998_sTurkey has decided to take every opportunity to show the U.S. and NATO that its membership in the organization sets no limits on Ankara’s plans to become a regional super power.

Turkey understands that the U.S. is weak right now, and is taking full advantage of the current weakness of the U.S. as the main pillar of NATO and it’s members.” A source told i-HLS.

According to Defense News, an international controversy over NATO member Turkey’s choice of a Chinese long-range air and anti-missile defense system is deepening, and incurring puzzling remarks from the U.S., NATO and Turkish officials.

On September 26th Turkey announced that it selected China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corp. (CPMIEC) to build the country’s first long-range air defense architecture. Thus sparking a major dispute on whether the Chinese-built system could be integrated with the NATO air defense assets currently stationed in Turkey.

Since the announcement was made, officials from the U.S., Turkey and NATO have been giving contradictory statements over whether — and to what extent — the system can be integrated within NATO.

The Chinese contender defeated a U.S. partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin who were offering the Patriot air defense system; Russia’s Rosoboronexport, marketing the S-300; and the Italian-French consortium Eurosam, maker of the Aster 30.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Francis J. Ricciardone has said that Washington is also concerned about the involvement of the Chinese winner in a recent Turkish nuclear technology defense contract, noting that the United States was conducting talks with Ankara on the issue.

Turkey claims that it chose the Chinese solution because it was better than rival bids in terms of “price, technology, local work share, technology transfer and credit financing terms.” According to Turkish officials “The Chinese bid is perfectly in compliance with our terms and conditions.”

The Turkish program consists of radar, launcher and intercept missiles. It has been designed to counter both enemy aircraft and missiles. Turkey has no long-range air defense systems.

About half of Turkey’s network-based air defense radar picture has been paid for by NATO. The country is part of the NATO Air Defense Ground Environment and without NATO’s consent it will be impossible for Turkey to make the planned system interoperable with these assets, say analysts.

To defend against missile threats, Turkey needs satellite and dedicated ballistic-missile detection and tracking radar like the one NATO deployed last year in Kurecik, in southeastern Turkey.

For the anti-aircraft component, Turkey needs an overall picture for data fusion. The Patriot system, for instance, can detect threats with its own radar, so does the Chinese system. However, analysts say that without integrating into a full air picture, the Chinese system could not work efficiently.