Turkey has reportedly tested the S-400 air defense systems against US-developed F-16 fighter jets, The EurAsian Times news website reported.
The S-400 air defense systems deployed at Mürted Air Base near Ankara were tested on the US-made F-16 Viper and F-4 Phantom II fighters, the report said.
Fighter Jets World magazine notes that the F-16 fighter jets were seen in the vicinity of Mürted Airbase. “Within the scope of some projects carried out in coordination with the Presidency of the Defense Industries, F-16 aircraft and other aircraft of the [Turkish] Air Force will carry out low and high altitude test flights on Monday and Tuesday in the skies of Ankara,” an official statement said.
However, video footage of the tests so far show F-16s and F-4s flying over Mürted and examples of the 91N6E surveillance and acquisition radar and the 96L6E air search and acquisition radar, the latter elevated on a 40V6M mast, clearly in operation below.
The mast-mounted version of the 96L6E is also designed to be better able to detect low-flying targets that a radar positioned right on the ground might not be able to detect through the surface clutter.
Russia announced in September 2017 that it had signed a $2.5 billion deal with Turkey on the delivery of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Ankara. Under the contract, Ankara will get a regiment set of S-400 air defense missile systems (two battalions). The deal also envisages partial transfer of production technology to the Turkish side.