ANKARA - Turkey could consider procuring a long-range missile defense system from other countries if its plan to develop one locally takes too long, a top defense official said on Tuesday. Ankara last year cancelled a $3.4 billion tender for such a system, after it had been provisionally awarded to China, a move that had sparked concern from the NATO member's Western allies, including the United States. Ismail Demir, Turkey's undersecretary for defense industries, told a news conference that it could consider other options - including foreign procurement - if indigenous development took too long.
