A group of Turkish military will leave for Azerbaijan to learn and train the S-300 command and control systems, Ermenihaber reported, citing Yeni Şafak report.

According to the source, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff have made a decision to send a delegation of 100 people to Azerbaijan this year, before heading to Russia where Turkish troops will be trained to operate the S-400s ahead of the system’s deployment by October.

The source reminds that Ankara and Moscow inked a $2.5 billion contract on the delivery of four battalion sets of S-400s to Turkey in 2017 in a move that’s been strongly criticised by the United States.

According to the same report, the S-400s purchased by Turkey would first be deployed at the Murted Air Base, formerly known as Akinci Air Base, located northwest of Ankara. Citing military sources, the report reads, the base will become the main centre for the dispatch of Russian air defences, but later the S-400s may be moved to other regions.