Turkey Formalizes Intention To Buy 100 JSFs

Turkey Formalizes Intention To Buy 100 JSFs

By BURAK EGE BEKDIL, ANKARA, and UMIT ENGINSOY, WASHINGTON

DefenseNews

Turkey’s top defense procurement panel late Dec. 12 formally announced that the NATO ally was planning to buy 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs), a deal worth more than $10 billion, as the Turkish Air Force’s new-generation fighter aircraft.

After a key meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee in Ankara, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told reporters that Turkey would sign a memorandum of understanding before year’s end that would make Ankara one of the nine partners in the production phase of the U.S. led program. The move is a prelude to an eventual buy of the aircraft.

In addition to Gonul, the committee’s members included Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Army Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, chief of the General Staff; and defense procurement chief Murad Bayar.

Until recently, the F-35 had been in a tough competition with Europe’s Eurofighter Typhoon for the Turkish market, but the powerful military eventually opted for the JSF.

Turkey will formally join the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark and Norway in the F-35’s production phase, to be led by Lockheed Martin.

Under current plans, Turkey is expecting to begin to receive the aircraft in 2014. It is intended to replace the Air Force’s present fighter fleet of older F-16s and more obsolete F-4Es.

In another decision, the committee authorized Bayar’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, or SSM, to finalize talks with the United States and Lockheed Martin for a planned buy of 30 new F-16 Block 50 fighters, worth about $1.65 billion, Gonul said.

Turkey plans to use the new and advanced F-16s as a stop-gap solution until the F-35s arrive.

Meanwhile, the Defense Industry Executive Committee failed to reach a decision on a multibillion dollar program for joint production with a foreign partner of at least 30 attack helicopters for the Army.

Erdogan’s government and SSM were planning to propose the selection of one of the two official bidders in the gunship competition, but the military wing opposed both options, defense sources close to the meeting said.

AgustaWestland, Cascina Costa, Italy, maker of the A-129 International, and South Africa’s Denel Aviation, Pretoria, maker of the CSH-2 Rooivalk, are bidding for the Turkish contract.

But Buyukanit raised objections to both solutions, and the panel delayed its decision, the sources said.

Chicago-based Boeing, maker of the U.S. Army’s AH-64D, which is outside the official Turkish contest, also is seeking a Foreign Military Sales transfer of its helicopter to the Turkish Army.

Defense analysts suggested that AgustaWestland’s and Denel’s failure may benefit Boeing.