The Turkish ministry of defence has torn up two of its leading defence procurements and intends to launch accelerated contests to deliver new attack helicopters and unmanned air vehicles featuring a high level of national content. The decision to abandon the armed forces' current projects was announced on 14 May.
Turkey launched its attack helicopter project in 1997 and in 2001 selected Bell Helicopter's AH-1Z King Cobra as its preferred solution for a 145-aircraft requirement worth $2.5 billion. Negotiations to conclude the deal, which included local production by Tusas Aerospace Industries (TAI), stalled amid technology transfer wrangles and rising programme costs, and Turkey last year resumed discussions with second-choice Kamov and Israel Aircraft Industries over the Ka-50-2 Erdogan. These also proved unsatisfactory, so the MoD and the national Defence Industry Committee (DIC) are preparing new bids to directly purchase 80 aircraft, which will be provided with electronics and other mission equipment by TAI.
A renewed contest is expected to attract fresh bids from AgustaWestland (A129 Mangusta), Boeing (AH-64DApache) and Eurocopter (Tiger), and local sources suggest a European solution could be favoured in a bid to strengthen Turkey's ambition to join the European Union.
Turkey has also cancelled a planned $600 million contest to acquire short- and medium-range unmanned air vehicles from European, Israeli or US suppliers, in preference to launching a new requirement for UAVs designed and built in Turkey. The DIC intends to hold discussions with TAI about relaunching the project within the next few months, says Murad Bayar, head of the DIC.
The attack helicopter acquisition and the Lockheed Martin-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project will be Turkey's leading defence aviation priorities for the next 20 years, says Bayar. TAI is to modernise 78 Block 30/40 F-16C/Dsto the enhanced Block 50 Plus standard to meet Turkish air force requirements until its new aircraft are available.
TOLGA OZBEK/ ISTANBUL
Source: Flight International
