TURKEY IS TO BUY the Rafael Popeye air-to-surface missile as part of its proposed McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom upgrade to be carried out by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).
The television-guided Popeye is understood to have been on the Turkish air force's shopping list from the outset of the negotiations, but the details of the $50 million deal have only recently been concluded with Rafael.
The first Turkish F-4s will be flown to Israel in mid-1996. According to the agreement, 26 aircraft will be upgraded in Israel, while another 28 will be modified at Eskisehire AB.
IAI is the prime contractor for the $600 million upgrade project, with most of the Israeli defence industry as subcontractors.
After the Israeli Knesset approved state guarantees for the $410 million loans requested by the Turkish Government, negotiations began on the financing agreements which will allow the Israeli company to begin the upgrade.
In the meantime, IAI subsidiary Elta is preparing its fire-control radar for evaluation by the Turkish air force, which selected it for the upgraded F-4s.
IAI sources claim that the radar programme is going according to schedule and that a first demonstration flight will be performed "within weeks".
Rafael has selected the Micro-turbo TRI-60 engine as the power plant for the Popeye variant being offered for the Royal Air Force's conventional stand-off-missile requirement. The chosen variant of the French-made engine will probably, be the TRI-60-20, which has a thrust of 5kN-plus (1,100lb).
Source: Flight International
