Special to WorldTribune.com
ANKARA — Turkey has reported the installation of an advanced
U.S.-origin radar for NATO’s ballistic missile defense shield.
Officials said NATO oversaw the installation of the AN/TPY-2 X-band
radar at a military facility in the Turkish province of Malatya, about 620
kilometers southeast of Ankara. They said the radar was being operated by
both U.S. and Turkish military personnel.
“The missile defense radar has begun operations,” an official said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has confirmed the installation of the X-band radar, meant to monitor ballistic missile launches in neighboring Iran. The Teheran regime has warned that the BMD platform would be deemed a target in any war between the West and Iran.
On Jan. 17, the Turkish daily Zaman reported that Turkish intelligence determined an Iranian plot to attack the U.S. embassy and consulates throughout the country in retaliation for the NATO radar. Zaman said the warning of a strike by either Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or the Lebanese-based Hizbullah was relayed to police in all 81 districts and called on authorities to monitor the arrival of foreigners.
The sources said AN/TPY-2, produced by the U.S. company Raytheon, began
operations on Jan. 1, 2012. They said Turkey has imposed strict limitations
on the use of data from the radar, including a ban on non-NATO members such
as Israel.
Turkey has demanded U.S. compensation for the deployment of the X-band
radar. The sources said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has requested
U.S. military aid as well as the sale of the Reaper combat unmanned aerial
vehicle, a platform long denied by Washington.
One U.S. Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry,
said Turkey was moving away from its commitment to NATO. Perry said Ankara
was being ruled by “what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists.”
“Turkey joined NATO while the governor was still two years old,” the
Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 17. “It is a member that has made
important contributions to the trans-Atlantic alliance’s conflict-full
history. It is among countries that are at the front lines in the fight
against terrorism.”
NATO installs X-band radar in Turkey to monitor Iran missile launches added by World Tribune on
View all posts by World Tribune →
You must be logged in to post a comment Login