The Turkish army is to reopen its requirement for a heavylift helicopter after scrapping a planned purchase of 10 Sikorsky CH-53Es.
The army is also hoping to conclude a deal for 145 Bell AH-1Z King Cobra attack helicopters by mid-year, providing it can overcome the latest hitch to hit contract negotiations with the US manufacturer.
Turkey expects to issue a fresh request for proposals (RFP) next year for a new large utility helicopter, which it now plans to begin fielding in 2006, says Maj Gen Akin Zorlu, Turkish Land Forces chief of plans and policies. The competition is expected to see a re-run of the previous tender, with Boeing offering the CH-47 Chinook and Russia possibly the Rostvertol-built Mil Mi-26.
The decision represents a setback for Sikorsky, which won the competition with a proposed improved version of the CH-53E equipped with a Rockwell Collins-supplied glass cockpit. The company had been hoping to restart production of the three-engined machine with the Turkish order, which fell through because of the country's economic crisis. The Turkish army, however, is planning to acquire another 15 Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks.
In the meantime, Turkey hopes to finalise a co-production contract for 145 AH-1Zs by mid-year, provided "some problems can be solved by then", says Zorlu. Negotiations have dragged on for almost 20 months, but recently made some headway when the issue of source code access to the helicopter's mission computer was solved. The latest hitch, according to Zorlu, concerns Bell providing system performance guarantees.
The army has also begun the search for a long-range anti-armour missile to equip its AH-1Zs.
Turkey is emerging as the first potential export customer for the Israeli Aircraft Industries Arrow anti-tactical ballistic missile. It requires three systems. The US State Department is about to approve the technical assistance agreement between Boeing and IAI that will allow Boeing to start production of some system components, which in-turn will facilitate a Turkish deal.Source: Flight International
