In the US, said the Russians caught Turkey on the C-400
The United States of America endangers its alliance with its long-time NATO partner. Turkey decided to acquire the C-400 Russian air defense system, and refused the American Patriots, citing the fact that the United States is demanding expensive for its system and does not transfer the important technologies needed to produce such systems.
Washington, in response, deprives Turkey of the ability to buy and produce F-35, the fifth-generation most popular multi-role fighter, and at the same time threatens to abandon the details of the fighter produced by this country, which will cause a delay in deliveries of the aircraft themselves in about three to five months.
The United States acts as tough as possible; they are ready to risk relations with one of the most important allies in the basins of the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Washington believes that there are several specific reasons why one of the newest Russian air defense systems in the hands of a NATO member is a serious security threat to the United States.
The strategy of the United States is based on winning air superiority. For example, during the Libyan campaign, thanks to this factor, the rebels gained an advantage over Gaddafi's troops. Libya's air defense system was destroyed.
However, what if there appeared an air defense system, for example, a Russian air defense missile system, capable, in combination with other rocket batteries, fighter planes and command and control units, to “chop off” the Americans the opportunity to dominate the sky?
The main concern of the United States and the reason why US lawmakers, representatives of the Department of Defense and the White House so unanimously united, is that the C-400 system, according to the Americans, can be used to collect information about the work of the F-35 fighter jets and, possibly, other NATO aircraft. This information may be in the hands of Russian intelligence.
- said Rick Berger, a defense budget and military procurement researcher at AEI (a research institute) and a former employee of the Senate Budget Committee in an interview with Air Force Time.
Disagreements over the C-400 exacerbate the strategic and tactical problems that exist in an already shaky alliance.
- explained Berger.
For some time, the United States relied heavily on Ankara in conducting its military operations in the region. This was especially true of combat missions against the IG (* prohibited in the Russian Federation) from the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey. The continued presence of the United States in Incirlik was seen as an important element of the negotiations to eliminate ongoing tensions between countries, which extended beyond the C-400 issue and dealt with many issues, from the American issue of the Turkish theologian Fethullah Gulen to the support of the Kurdish forces in Washington.
said Berger.
Technical risks
If Turkey had acquired the C-400 along with the F-35, the technology that makes this aircraft a deadly adversary could potentially be compromised.
NATO states use a tactical data link that allows military aircraft, as well as ships and ground forces to exchange tactical data in near real-time mode. This system is called Link 16. NATO aircraft also use “friend-foe” identification systems, known as IFFs, to identify friendly aircraft in the sky.
The IFF and Link 16 modules must be integrated into the C-400 system in order to allow the Turkish F-35 with a repeater to fly within the radius of destruction of the Russian air defense system.
This opens all Link 16 and IFF equipment for data transfer. Over time, with the F-35, flying in close proximity to the C-400 system, you can "remove" all the characteristics of stealth and explore its detailed capabilities.
The Lightning II waveform's reflection waveform is secret to protect radar performance, stealth technology, and encrypted 16 Link codes. When you know the waveform, you can fake it by sending a false signal to deceive the operator.
The concern is not necessarily due to the fact that the Turkish military may compromise this confidential data. Americans believe that malicious software can be installed on the air defense system from the start, or Russian technicians that configure or maintain the system will get access to information.
C-400, being networked, have a coverage of hundreds of kilometers. There are enough vulnerable nodes capable of potentially transmitting confidential data to Russia - and then even the operation of US F-35 from the Incirlik airbase can become difficult if the Russian system is located nearby
Turkish perspective
Pentagon officials at the last moment made Ankara an expanded offer to sell Patriot missiles as an alternative to the Russian system, but the Turkish leadership did not convince the proposal.
- declared Erdogan
Turkey is outraged, pointing out that a number of US allies in NATO, such as Greece and Bulgaria, are armed with the C-300. But this deal was made in 1990's, before the Kremlin turned back into an adversary of NATO. And now Greece does not receive F-35.
In addition, the hidden technology is at risk, since C-400 can collect a large amount of data over long periods of time from various angles and at close range, he said. Tracking algorithms have greatly improved since the C-300 was manufactured, due to the increase in computing power.
From the Turkish point of view, this is all political theater. But from the US point of view, this is a problem for Turkey, since their own F-35A may be useless.
- declared Berger.
He added that it is not clear whether Erdogan and President Donald Trump correctly understand the signals and take into account each other’s interests.
But "some Turks still feel that the US is bluffing," said Berger.
Unity for salvation
According to US lawmakers, Turkey’s acquisition of the C-400 is “a step beyond the boundary that is unacceptable for an ally of the United States and NATO.” This is how Andrew Philip Hunter, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former senior executive at the Department of Defense, described the vision.
- stressed Hunter
Hunter said that there will still be ways to restore US-Turkey relations and prevent differences from going too far.
But if rapprochement with Russia continues, and, in particular, steps are taken towards acquiring systems that cannot be integrated into NATO systems, this will potentially expand the conflict to such an extent that it can become a serious problem for the alliance.
The United States will be extremely difficult to exclude Turkey from its close circle. To continue to dominate the region, Washington will have to rely more on Arab states such as Qatar or Jordan.
Qatar officials sought to expand defense ties with the United States and expressed their desire to expand the American presence at the Al-Udeid airbase. But even Qatar has talked with Russia about buying C-400.
- Rick Berger outlined the situation.
The lack of unhindered access to bases in Turkey will certainly have an impact on US operations. But the invasion of Iraq in 2003 is an example of how the US military can conduct missions in the region with or without Turkey.
said Hunter.
The US position shows that a red line has been drawn in this matter, and that the Pentagon is prepared to incur very substantial costs in order to maintain its position.
said Hunter.
On the one hand, the US must find a replacement for Turkish parts suppliers. This is not a big problem, but it will take time to resolve the issue. Turkey touches no less.
- summed up the expert.
According to Berger, the decision to purchase C-400 basically comes down to showing that Turkey is not tied to the West. But Ankara could have done the same by buying something else.
Washington, in response, deprives Turkey of the ability to buy and produce F-35, the fifth-generation most popular multi-role fighter, and at the same time threatens to abandon the details of the fighter produced by this country, which will cause a delay in deliveries of the aircraft themselves in about three to five months.
The United States acts as tough as possible; they are ready to risk relations with one of the most important allies in the basins of the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Washington believes that there are several specific reasons why one of the newest Russian air defense systems in the hands of a NATO member is a serious security threat to the United States.
The strategy of the United States is based on winning air superiority. For example, during the Libyan campaign, thanks to this factor, the rebels gained an advantage over Gaddafi's troops. Libya's air defense system was destroyed.
However, what if there appeared an air defense system, for example, a Russian air defense missile system, capable, in combination with other rocket batteries, fighter planes and command and control units, to “chop off” the Americans the opportunity to dominate the sky?
The main concern of the United States and the reason why US lawmakers, representatives of the Department of Defense and the White House so unanimously united, is that the C-400 system, according to the Americans, can be used to collect information about the work of the F-35 fighter jets and, possibly, other NATO aircraft. This information may be in the hands of Russian intelligence.
It’s amazing to see them all moving in the same direction.
- said Rick Berger, a defense budget and military procurement researcher at AEI (a research institute) and a former employee of the Senate Budget Committee in an interview with Air Force Time.
Disagreements over the C-400 exacerbate the strategic and tactical problems that exist in an already shaky alliance.
Increasingly, the question arises: should Turkey be in NATO? It rises very often and is inevitable.
- explained Berger.
For some time, the United States relied heavily on Ankara in conducting its military operations in the region. This was especially true of combat missions against the IG (* prohibited in the Russian Federation) from the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey. The continued presence of the United States in Incirlik was seen as an important element of the negotiations to eliminate ongoing tensions between countries, which extended beyond the C-400 issue and dealt with many issues, from the American issue of the Turkish theologian Fethullah Gulen to the support of the Kurdish forces in Washington.
We kind of sleep, plunging into the inevitability of the fact that Turkey has withdrawn from the F-35 program. If we do not give them "Lightning", why should they our military on their territory?
said Berger.
Technical risks
If Turkey had acquired the C-400 along with the F-35, the technology that makes this aircraft a deadly adversary could potentially be compromised.
NATO states use a tactical data link that allows military aircraft, as well as ships and ground forces to exchange tactical data in near real-time mode. This system is called Link 16. NATO aircraft also use “friend-foe” identification systems, known as IFFs, to identify friendly aircraft in the sky.
The IFF and Link 16 modules must be integrated into the C-400 system in order to allow the Turkish F-35 with a repeater to fly within the radius of destruction of the Russian air defense system.
This opens all Link 16 and IFF equipment for data transfer. Over time, with the F-35, flying in close proximity to the C-400 system, you can "remove" all the characteristics of stealth and explore its detailed capabilities.
The Lightning II waveform's reflection waveform is secret to protect radar performance, stealth technology, and encrypted 16 Link codes. When you know the waveform, you can fake it by sending a false signal to deceive the operator.
The concern is not necessarily due to the fact that the Turkish military may compromise this confidential data. Americans believe that malicious software can be installed on the air defense system from the start, or Russian technicians that configure or maintain the system will get access to information.
C-400, being networked, have a coverage of hundreds of kilometers. There are enough vulnerable nodes capable of potentially transmitting confidential data to Russia - and then even the operation of US F-35 from the Incirlik airbase can become difficult if the Russian system is located nearby
Turkish perspective
Pentagon officials at the last moment made Ankara an expanded offer to sell Patriot missiles as an alternative to the Russian system, but the Turkish leadership did not convince the proposal.
The United States could not offer us any suitable terms.
- declared Erdogan
Turkey is outraged, pointing out that a number of US allies in NATO, such as Greece and Bulgaria, are armed with the C-300. But this deal was made in 1990's, before the Kremlin turned back into an adversary of NATO. And now Greece does not receive F-35.
In addition, the hidden technology is at risk, since C-400 can collect a large amount of data over long periods of time from various angles and at close range, he said. Tracking algorithms have greatly improved since the C-300 was manufactured, due to the increase in computing power.
From the Turkish point of view, this is all political theater. But from the US point of view, this is a problem for Turkey, since their own F-35A may be useless.
Turkish decision making is now opaque due to the fact that Erdogan completely monopolized the power
- declared Berger.
He added that it is not clear whether Erdogan and President Donald Trump correctly understand the signals and take into account each other’s interests.
But "some Turks still feel that the US is bluffing," said Berger.
Unity for salvation
According to US lawmakers, Turkey’s acquisition of the C-400 is “a step beyond the boundary that is unacceptable for an ally of the United States and NATO.” This is how Andrew Philip Hunter, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former senior executive at the Department of Defense, described the vision.
We tolerate other countries exploiting Russian systems in various scenarios. In some cases, we ourselves bought Russian systems for Afghans. But C-400 clearly stands out as a system that is unacceptable.
- stressed Hunter
Hunter said that there will still be ways to restore US-Turkey relations and prevent differences from going too far.
But if rapprochement with Russia continues, and, in particular, steps are taken towards acquiring systems that cannot be integrated into NATO systems, this will potentially expand the conflict to such an extent that it can become a serious problem for the alliance.
The United States will be extremely difficult to exclude Turkey from its close circle. To continue to dominate the region, Washington will have to rely more on Arab states such as Qatar or Jordan.
Qatar officials sought to expand defense ties with the United States and expressed their desire to expand the American presence at the Al-Udeid airbase. But even Qatar has talked with Russia about buying C-400.
I think our military will not be delighted with this either.
- Rick Berger outlined the situation.
The lack of unhindered access to bases in Turkey will certainly have an impact on US operations. But the invasion of Iraq in 2003 is an example of how the US military can conduct missions in the region with or without Turkey.
This was a serious obstacle to US plans when Turkey refused Washington the right to use its territory for this operation, but we were able to resolve the issue. There are certain workarounds, but the fact that these workarounds do not mean that the alliance is less strategic
said Hunter.
The US position shows that a red line has been drawn in this matter, and that the Pentagon is prepared to incur very substantial costs in order to maintain its position.
If the F-35 supplies to Turkey are frozen, this will result in huge costs for both the Turks and us.
said Hunter.
On the one hand, the US must find a replacement for Turkish parts suppliers. This is not a big problem, but it will take time to resolve the issue. Turkey touches no less.
I do not know if they understand that they were caught by the Russians. And they caught Turkey on C-400. Yes, C-400 is a great system, but the price that [Turkish authorities] are going to pay is huge
- summed up the expert.
According to Berger, the decision to purchase C-400 basically comes down to showing that Turkey is not tied to the West. But Ankara could have done the same by buying something else.
Information