turkey agrees to host powerful U.S. radar

Turkey agrees to host powerful U.S. radar

© RIA Novosti. Michail Fomichev

17:56 14/09/2011

ANKARA, September 14 (RIA Novosti)

Turkey and the United States signed on Wednesday a memorandum on the deployment of a U.S. radar on Turkish territory as part of a "missile shield" to protect NATO allies from potential ballistic missile threats.

An X-band AN/TPY-2 radar, which is part of the THAAD system designed to intercept medium-range missiles at very high altitudes, will be deployed at a military base in the eastern province of Malatya.

Ankara and Washington say the radar will help provide early warning of missile threats coming from outside Europe. The system is expected to become operational by the end of this year.

According to Turkish media, the radar will be operated from a NATO control center in Germany, but the allies will share data with Turkey.

NATO members agreed to install a missile shield over Europe to protect against ballistic missiles launched by so-called "rogue states" at a summit in Lisbon, Portugal, last year.

An agreement not to pinpoint Iran was reached with Turkey, which had threatened to block the deal if its neighbor was explicitly named as a threat.

RIA NOVOSTI