TURKEY IS ABOUT to release a request for proposals for a maritime-patrol aircraft (MPA), with Fokker, CASA and Dornier among the likely bidders.
The requirement looked likely at one point to be satisfied by an ex-US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion, but this deal appears to have fallen through.
The Turkish mission is thought to include a requirement for an operational ceiling of above 25,000ft (7,600m), which may be a problem for the CASA CN-235.
Fokker is offering the Enforcer II variant of the Fokker 50, while Daimler-Benz Aerospace sister company Dornier will offer a variant of its Dornier 328 twin-turboprop regional passenger-aircraft.
Alongside the MPA requirement, Turkey is looking for an airborne-early-warning (AEW) aircraft. Fokker intends to offer the Ericsson radar-equipped Kingbird derivative of the Fokker 50, while rival bidders will include Lockheed, offering the C-130 Hercules fitted with the Grumman Hawkeye AEW suite.
Source: Flight International
