Ankara Says NATO Deploys New Patriot Battery at South Turkey Air Base

Turkey’s defense ministry said Wednesday NATO was deploying a new Patriot missile battery at Incirlik air base, just days after a third ballistic missile from Iran was shot down.

“Another Patriot system … is being deployed … in addition to the existing Spanish Patriot system stationed there,” a ministry official told reporters at the Turkish air base, just outside the southern city of Adana.

The ministry did not say which country’s troops would be operating the new PAC-3 system.

Last Friday, Turkey confirmed a third ballistic missile from Iran was shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces, the third such incident since the Middle East war started.

After the second interception, NATO deployed Patriot defenses in the central Malatya region, where the Kurecik air base is located, which houses a NATO early-warning radar system manned by US troops that can detect Iranian missile launches.

The Patriot is a mobile air defense system designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, low-flying cruise missiles, and aircraft.

The PAC-2 version has an interception range of up to 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) against aircraft and cruise missiles, while the PAC-3 has a range of 20 to 35 kilometers (12.4 to 21.7 miles) against ballistic missiles, according to US Army data.