OREANDA-NEWSTurkey expects that the second phase of deliveries of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems divisions to Turkey will begin in 2020. This was stated by the head of the Office of Defense Industry of Turkey, Ismail Demir, on Wednesday in the air of the Turkish TV channel.

"The second phase of the S-400 supply may begin next year. Turkey will manage the systems, otherwise it cannot be. There is nothing undesirable for us with these complexes", he said. Demir noted that the United States "did not provide any technical justification for its argument that the S-400 can't work together with the F-35 fighter".

The head of the ministry drew attention to the fact that, thanks to the S-400 contract, Turkey will receive some air defense technologies that can be used in national missile defense projects. In the future, he said, along with the S-400, the security of Turkish airspace will be provided by domestic systems of various ranges and missions. "From 2021 we plan to gradually commission the Hisar-A, Hisar-O and Siper complexes. The S-400 has the ability to hit ballistic missiles. However, air defense is a complex of measures involving different types of weapons", Demir said.

On July 14, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that the process of supplying S-400 to Turkey may be completed by April 2020. Ismail Demir also stressed that the United States has no legal grounds for excluding the republic from the program of creating fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets.

"The US has no legal basis for excluding us from the F-35 program. This decision is far from rationality", he said. Demir noted that at the moment Ankara "didn't receive official documents about its withdrawal from the program" of the creation of a fighter. In September 2017, Russia announced a contract with Turkey for the supply of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.