US military has S-300 systems: Reports

ISTANBUL

The United States has allegedly acquired the Russian-made S-300 air defense systems, media reports have claimed based on a satellite photograph shared on Twitter.

The photograph, shared by a self-declared military enthusiast on May 1, drew the media’s attention on May 13.

“Satellite photos that purport to show Soviet-made S-300PT air defense systems at a U.S. military site have surfaced online, prompting various theories about how and why they ended up there,” said a report on Russian Today’s website.

“The speculations began after an image of what appear to be two 5P85PT launchers on semi-trailers and a 30N6 fire control system were posted online by a military enthusiast. The installations are an integral part of the S-300PT surface-to-air missile systems,” it said.

The U.S. military is said to be using Russian-style air defense systems during training exercises.

“It uses styled or real combat vehicles and air defense systems to add extra realism to various exercises,” online military magazine Defence Blog said in its report on the same photograph on May 12.

The “enthusiast,” who later deleted the post, refrained from giving information on where the photograph might have been taken, only saying: “although not ‘born in the USA’ but ‘somewhere in the USA’ … looks like a S-300PT test site.”

 First manufactured in 1975, the S-300 air defense systems were delivered to a number of countries including China, Algeria, Venezuela, Iran, Vietnam, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Slovakia.