Pence warns Turkey against buying Russian air defenses

It's absolutely unthinkable the position NATO find itself in due to Turkey's pursuit of the S-400. There are rumours Turkey has been offered a price match by Raytheon, but Turkey keeps shifting the goal post. It's obvious they're agitating to get out of NATO, or is trying to get a better role in NATO.

Russia wins again if go through with this, payback for Ukraine? ie you take one of mine, I take one of yours.

Pick a side, Turkey.

Pretty sure the Turks have all the cards. Silver fox and orange baboon can heave and howl all they want. Ship's already sailed. And it's all their damn fault!!

Does it want to remain a critical partner in the most successful military alliance in history or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making such reckless decisions that undermine our alliance?

Just to be clear....Pence is talking about Turkey and not Trump, right? Last I checked Trump said NATO was obsolete. Pence seems to be doing a 180.

The S400 is the best air defense complex in the world.

Yes absolutely, or at least on paper (because tge S-400 has not been used in a theatre of war yet), whereas the Patriot has had a long history of deployment (and continual enhancement of performance).

Apparently, the coalition does not even want to risk testing the S-400's capability, preferring to declare a no fly zone where ever it has been deployed (detected as actively scanning).

The Turks (and Saudis and Indians and Chinese) know that and simply don't want the overpriced outdated American systems.

But the Turks can't have their cake and eat it as well. You can't be part of an alliance but then go on employing technology from your adversaries into the alliance. It's a no brainer, but IMHO, the Turks thinks NATO need them because of their geopololitical position, and they're right.

Remember F117 shot down in the Balkans? There was a lot of guess work, intelligence, and pot luck to detect it. If they had the S-400, it removes a lot of the guess work to detect a stealth airframes, and once detection is sorted, tracking capability will follow.

Total bull to force by coercion or sanctions mafia style tactics to buy American weapons that most politicians hold shares or are board members in the weapon manufacture and sale industry.

if pence is true and turkey could figure out how to easily shoot down expensive outdated and accident prone F-35s, then if as an ally, America could get access to the S-400 and also figure out its weak points and how to evade it.

then if as an ally, America could get access to the S-400 and also figure out its weak points and how to evade it.

You don't evade, but yes you can employ EW (Growlers), else you just stay the heck out like the rumour has been circulating. The other consideration is how much the F-22 & F-35 costs vs the S-400. It's not a fair swap, and beside, there is nothing special about the S-400's radar.

The only rational thing about this issue is Europe is already starting to breakup, Germany is relying on Russian energy, the Scandinavian countries are not looking to NATO for defence, and now with Turkey, Trump, defence budgets etc...might as well not sell F35 to Turkey, or Germany, Italian....

Hey Turkey, how dare you give your money to Russia and not to us. We are now going to throw a hissy fit.

Warns them... what? That Trump will ask how high when Russia then says "jump" after the warning?

Hey Turkey, how dare you give your money to Russia and not to us. We are now going to throw a hissy fit.

It's not about the money. You don't see an issue with a member of an allied organization buying a weapon system from that organization's main adversary? If Turkey chose the French system that is also mentioned in the article, no one would have heard anything about it.