One of the reasons for Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) was called the arrest of many Turkish F-16 pilots due to a coup attempt in 2016, which hit the country’s air force hard. The American edition of the National Interest writes about this.
Thus, after the departure of 300 disloyal specialists in Turkey, there was practically no one to control the fighters. The US, for its part, refused to help Ankara and send its specialists to train new personnel.
Based on this, Turkey began to look for new opportunities for the defense of the country’s airspace and found them in the purchase of Russian air defense systems. So, in 2017, the parties entered into an agreement for the supply of S-400 worth $ 2.5 billion.
Due to the purchase of Russian air defense systems, the United States has repeatedly threatened with sanctions against Turkey. According to Washington, Ankara’s use of the S-400 falls under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
An attempted coup took place in Turkey in the summer of 2016. The authorities blamed preacher Fethullah Gulen for the incident. Then several thousand people were arrested, suspected of supporting the putsch. Among them were the military, journalists and employees of the military departments.