Israel has refused to provide Turkey with the advanced Barak-8 missile interceptor over fears it could end up in the possession of the Iranian government.
Intelligence sources in Israel and a number of Western countries claimed on Friday that Turkish naval chiefs have made several requests to acquire Barak-8, which was developed by Israel and India in a joint partnership beginning in 2004.
Equipped with a 360-degree coverage offering radar, the Barak-8 system can be installed on warships to intercept incoming missiles within a 500 meter distance.
DEBKA, which is closely affiliated with the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, revealed Friday that Israeli officials turned down the requests lest Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan allow Iran's military to study the Barak-8 and analyze its technology.
According to the report, Israel cannot afford to let Iran get hold of the technology used in Barak-8 as the system is a key defensive component for the Israeli warships patrolling the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The report further added that growing relations between Tehran and Ankara have prompted Israeli officials to cut off all advanced weapons supplies to the Turkish armed forces.
Tel Aviv has kept a watchful eye on military contracts signed with the Islamic Republic in recent years.
Israeli officials have gone to great lengths to stop Russia from selling Iran the mobile land-based S-300 system designed to detect and shoot down aircrafts within a 120 km (75 miles) distance.
Codenamed 'the SA-20 Gargoyle' by NATO, the system also features high jamming immunity and is capable of simultaneously engaging up to 100 targets.
Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125052§ionid=351020204.
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