ANKARA, March 18 (Reuters) - NATO is deploying another U.S. Patriot missile defence system to the southern Turkish province of Adana, where personnel from the United States and other countries are
NATO Expands Missile Defence in Southern Turkey to Safeguard Key Military Base
NATO Deploys Additional Patriot Missile System to Adana
Strategic Importance of Incirlik Air Base
ANKARA, March 18 (Reuters) - NATO is deploying another U.S. Patriot missile defence system to the southern Turkish province of Adana, where personnel from the United States and other countries are located in the Incirlik Air Base, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army and neigbhbours Iran, said last week the alliance had deployed a Patriot system to its southeastern Malatya province, near a NATO radar base, as part of steps to boost air defences against missile threats from the Iran war.
International Presence at Incirlik
Adana hosts Turkey's Incirlik Air Base, where personnel from the United States, Qatar, Spain, and Poland are located, as well as Turkish troops.
Details of the New Deployment
Enhanced Air Defence Measures
"In addition to national-level measures taken to ensure the security of our airspace and our citizens, another Patriot system, commissioned by Allied Air Command in Ramstein/Germany, is being deployed in Adana, in addition to the existing Spanish Patriot system stationed there," the ministry said at a weekly briefing.
Turkey’s Reliance on NATO Air Defences
Missile Threats from Iran
Turkey, an emerging leader in the global defence industry, lacks its own fully fledged air defences despite development efforts, and has relied on NATO air defences stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to intercept three missiles it says were fired from Iran since the war began.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)
