Germany to send early warning and control aircraft to Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Germany plans to send Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft to Turkey to aid NATO in deterring aggression from Syria.

The move follows Germany's decision to remove their share of Patriot missile defense systems in the country, leaving only Spanish Patriot missile systems in place. While the stated mission to send the reconnaissance aircraft is to help protect Turkey from threats emerging from Syria, some defense analysts say the move is a statement to Moscow.

"This is a message to Russia in the aftermath of the crisis," a London-based analyst told Defense News. "It is NATO's best interests if a potential Turkish-Russian conflict is prevented."

Russia has pledged serious consequences for Turkey after Turkish pilots shot down a Russian aircraft in November.

In a letter to the Bundestag, the lower legislative body in Germany, the German government outlined their plan to temporarily move a NATO AWACS to a Turkish air base, in addition to relocating a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft from Germany's Geilenkirchen Air Base to Konya Air Base in Turkey. The government decision has been met with some criticism due to lawmakers not being consulted on the matter, according to Daily Sabah.

"The government must immediately inform parliament of the details of this deployment," German Green Party defense chief Tobias Lindner said.