Turkey Warns of ‘Dangerous Consequences’ as Cyprus Strengthens Air Defense

Ankara is threatening Nicosia implicit the deployment of the Barak MX aerial defence strategy from Israel Aerospace Industries. Credit: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

Turkey connected Thursday warned that Cyprus’s ongoing efforts to bolster its aerial defence with systems from Israel could person “dangerous consequences” and are being “closely monitored.”

“We would similar to erstwhile again punctual that ongoing armament efforts and activities that whitethorn undermine bid and stableness connected the land could person unsafe consequences,” Defense Ministry sources were quoted by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency arsenic saying connected Thursday.

“Every effort aimed astatine disturbing the equilibrium connected the land is being intimately monitored, and each indispensable measures are being taken for the information and bid of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” the ministry said, referring to the occupied northbound of the island, which is recognized lone by Turkey.

The Turkish ministry’s comments came aft Cyprus took transportation earlier this week of its second Barak MX aerial defence strategy from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a determination critics successful Ankara accidental is simply a “direct threat” to Turkish nationalist security.

Cyprus placed its bid for the Barak MX successful 2021. The archetypal shipment arrived successful December 2024, with the last components pursuing recently.

Capabilities of the Barak MX aerial defence system

The Israeli-made Barak MX is regarded arsenic 1 of the astir susceptible anti-aircraft systems presently successful operation. Its modular plan offers important flexibility, and its scope extends to the Turkish coast.

The strategy consists of an Elta multi-mission radar, a occurrence power center, and launchers, each mounted connected Tatra vehicles for the National Guard. The AESA exertion radar tin observe threats astatine distances of implicit 450 kilometers (280 miles). In summation to its anti-aircraft capabilities, the Barak MX tin besides antagonistic ballistic missiles and observe ground-based occurrence motorboat sites.

The National Guard reportedly acquired the MR and LR versions of the system, with ranges of 35 (21 miles) and 70 kilometers (43 miles), respectively. There is besides an ER (extended range) mentation disposable with a 150-kilometer (93-mile) radius, which could efficaciously enforce a no-fly portion crossed the full Nicosia FIR.

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