One of
the most dangerous of such armament is the nuclear weapon. And besides the
nuclear weapons, there are also the biological weapons such as spread of
viruses and bacteria, as well as intelligent missiles which are programmed to
blow a specific target from a very far distance. Among those missiles, there is
the modern war arsenal – which has two distinct defense systems: Patriot and
the S-400 missile systems, which many countries have strived to acquire,
including in the Middle East. The Patriot Surface-to-Air Missile was developed by
the US defense contractor Raytheon and it constitutes the anchor of the NATO’s
defense bulwark [i.e. the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which now consists
of 32 member countries]. As for the S-400, it was manufactured by Russian
state-owned defense company, Almaz-Antey.
Back
in the year 2017, Turkey’s plan to buy the S-400 has created a headache for the
United States of America as Turkey was primarily their ally, and Russia was
their headache. Turkey faced boycott upon its decision to buy the Russian S-400
air defense system in 2019, which included being blocked from buying the F-35
fighter jet and Patriot air defense systems. The United States put pressure on
Turkey to abandon its agreement to buy their rival’s armaments, fearing for
leaking of security because of Russian Espionage. The then US president Donald
Trump’s decision to strip some Turkish exporters of their preferential trade
status was seen by some experts as another measure forcing the hand of Turkey to reconsider
its decision on the S-400.
The
S-400 and the Patriot are two very different things. The S-400 is a single jack
of all trades system that is designed to provide formidable air and missile
defense over a wide area at an affordable cost. The Patriot is a niche system
that is designed to provide medium range air and missile defense over a much
smaller geographic area. However, it’s complemented by a host of other systems
that together provide much more capable air defenses than the S-400, but at
much greater cost. The S-400 system cost around 500 million US dollars at the
time, in comparison to the Patriot Pac-2 which was around 1 billion. This is
one of the major reasons why the S-400 has garnered interest all over the world
since its first inception.
The
S-400 is one of the most sophisticated surface-to-air defense systems in the
world. The improved version, S-500 is even more sophisticated and was
introduced in the Russian Air Force in 2021. But the one which is widely spread
in the world is the S-400 and is currently the more dangerous warfare missile
till this day.
And
one more weapon which is also dangerous is the David’s Sling which is a
multi-purpose defense system developed by Raytheon and Israel’s Rafael Advanced
Defense Systems, equipped with anti-ballistic missiles and medium to long-range
surface-to-air missiles.
So, Turkey’s
[considered previously as the U.S.A’s ally] decision to purchase S-400 systems
held greater political implications for NATO and the F-35 project. Not only did
it signal a strengthened Russia on the global stages, but it also showed how
the reluctance of the US - to sell their own missile defense systems - can be
leveraged by rival nations. Turkey’s Defense Chief reiterated that the
acquisition of precisely Russian air defense systems was not “Turkey’s
preference, but was a forced measure”.
In
2009 during Barack Obama’s tenure in office, when Turkey wanted to buy the Patriot
system, US congress declined the sale of the Patriot PAC-3 batteries, which
were worth 7.8 billion US dollars at the time. Even though it would not sell
the necessary missile systems to a NATO ally, the U.S.A continued to provide
extensive arms support to terrorist groups in Syria that have continuously
attacked Turkey and claimed hundreds of lives. Despite many attempts to
purchase the Patriot Air Defense System from the US, Turkey had not been able
to achieve this due to conflicts such as the “transfer of technology” issue. In
late December 2018, the US state Department authorized a sale to Turkey for the
Patriot Missile System and related support and equipment worth 3.5 billion US
dollars (almost half the initial price claimed). However, the U.S.A’s
unwillingness to share their technology drove Turkey toward Russia to purchase
the Russian made S-400 defense system.
With
its own justifications, Turkey made it clear that purchasing a defense system
from Russia has been more beneficial for the country for many reasons. For
instance, unlike the USA, Russia guaranteed to conduct the technology transfer
of the S-400 systems sold to Turkey. Also, the Patriot Defense System was quite
old when compared to the S-400. Even though they served a lot in the past, it
was dubious as to how far they will be effective in the present day or in the
future. The patriot system’s usage during actual deployment situations has left
room for doubt over its performance.
For
example, after the 1991 Gulf War it was revealed that only a percentage of
Iraqi SCUD missiles were actually shot down by Patriot batteries guarding
Saudi-Arabia and Israel. Combat use of the Patriot system also highlighted some
shortcomings of the system: high sensitivity to sand ingestion and unstable
electric supply. There have also been reports of accidental launches. Military
experts also argue that the S-400 systems have a capacity to effectively
protect wider areas as compared to the Patriots. And most importantly, S-400
systems are much more affordable than the US missiles. With long frontiers surrounded
by several countries, the Political Capital of Turkey, Ankara remained firm in
purchasing the S-400, and its argument was quite clear. The S-400 was and still
is a much more advanced system that would be more effective for Turkey’s air
safety. This decision certainly seems as though it will go down in history as a
turning point, not only in Turkey-US Relations, but also for the future of NATO
and the Patriot.
With
allies becoming rebels to U.S.A’s influence, it is clear that the leaders of
the world are each preparing themselves to destroy each other, to up to what
point? With the Russia-Ukraine War and the Palestinian-Israel War, modern
warfare weapons are used to kill civilians – innocent lives – and such obnoxious
treatment to human lives is purely INHUMANE. Will we, O people of the world let
the army of the Satans get the upper hand in the Kingdom of God? Now, it is for
the true soldiers of God Almighty (ALLAH), the Sole, Unique Lord to set fire on
the enemy through our prayers. Those prayers have been heard, if only the
Muslim World were to open their eye to see the true appearance of the Imam
Mahdi whom they are calling with much pain and hope. Insha-Allah, the
Will of Allah will be heard; the cries of the innocents do not fall on deaf
ears. Allah’s appointed time is coming soon. May Allah destroy the partisans of
the Satan, those who hanker after the world and its power, and may Allah give
victory to the oppressed believers and make us all unite as one solid body of
Islam. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 10 May 2024~ 01 Dhul Qaddah 1445 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius.