Clearday-TRForce
02-22-2006, 08:01 AM
Top defense panel gives go-ahead for air defense buy
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Prime minister pledges financing for $1 billion purchase
ANKARA - Exclusive by TDN Defense Desk
Turkey's top defense panel that oversees procurement programs has given the green light for a proposed program that entails building major air defense systems at the country's most strategic locations.The Defense Industry Executive Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Feb. 17 approved the plan, authorizing defense procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), to administer the program, defense officials told the Turkish Daily News. Other members of the committee are Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök and SSM's chief Murad Bayar.
Procurement officials said that the SSM has now been tasked with carrying out a feasibility study for the program and issuing a request for proposals (RfP).
“This has been marked as a priority buy,” a senior official familiar with the program said. “But there are minor financing problems.”
The Turkish Treasury has not responded to an earlier request from the SSM to back an international loan to finance the purchase; however, Erdoğan, during the meeting of the committee, pledged to resolve the funding hurdle. “The prime minister assured committee members that the financing problem should be resolved in the next couple of months,” the official said.
Without having secured backing for a loan or other means of financing the SSM will not be able to release the RfP.The move to beef up the country's weak air defenses comes at a time when there is increasing controversy over neighboring Iran's nuclear program. Procurement officials are presently weighing options to acquire modest quantities of medium and long-range air defense systems to protect the country vis-à-vis missile and/or non-conventional warfare threat.
They are mulling over buying four batteries of theater air defense systems, aiming to protect Turkey's strategic targets against potential strikes by enemy missiles. Last October, the SSM took charge of the air defense program.
Analysts say Ankara cannot choose “any air defense system” as it prefers to acquire systems with anti-missile capabilities because Turkey's security policy-makers do not expect any serious aircraft threat from any potential enemy. One official said that the main purpose of the program is to build an air defense shield against mainly enemy missiles, not aircraft.
Although Turkey's theater air defense program is at a preliminary stage, procurement officials and analysts said the two strongest candidates were the U.S. PAC-3 and Russia's S-300 systems.
The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) is an upgraded version of Raytheon's MIM-104 Patriot medium and long-range surface-to-air missiles.
The Patriot was extensively used during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and is the only combat-proven tactical ballistic missile defense system.
Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control unit is now prime systems integrator in the PAC-3 program.
So far various Patriot versions have been sold to Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan and Spain. Russia's S-300P long-range air defense systems, also known as SA-10 Grumble in NATO terminology, has been developed by the air defense concern Almaz-Antei. Export users of the S-300P include China, India, Greece, Croatia, Slovakia and Vietnam. Russia recently has developed the Triumf S-400 as an upgrade to the S-300P for Moscow's air defenses.
A third major air defense system is the Arrow 2, jointly developed by Israeli Aircraft Systems and Boeing for Israel's defense purposes. However, Turkish officials say they believe that system probably was not possible to acquire due to manufacturers' reluctance vis-à-vis technology transfer.
Although Turkey neighbors potential adversaries like Iran and Syria, both having rather advanced surface-to-surface missiles, its lack of modern theater air defense systems is seen as one of the country's key defense weaknesses.
Turkey's move comes at a time when Iran is feared to be involved in a serious effort to obtain nuclear weapons and medium and long-range missiles to deliver them.
In the wake of the 1991 Gulf war and in the late '90s Turkey twice had considered purchasing such systems, but financial hardships prevented a deal.
During the 1991 Gulf war and Iraq's 2003 invasion, U.S. and European air defense systems were temporarily deployed to Turkey.
I hope Turkey will choose Hit to Kıll PAC-3
regards,
CDTRF
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Prime minister pledges financing for $1 billion purchase
ANKARA - Exclusive by TDN Defense Desk
Turkey's top defense panel that oversees procurement programs has given the green light for a proposed program that entails building major air defense systems at the country's most strategic locations.The Defense Industry Executive Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Feb. 17 approved the plan, authorizing defense procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), to administer the program, defense officials told the Turkish Daily News. Other members of the committee are Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök and SSM's chief Murad Bayar.
Procurement officials said that the SSM has now been tasked with carrying out a feasibility study for the program and issuing a request for proposals (RfP).
“This has been marked as a priority buy,” a senior official familiar with the program said. “But there are minor financing problems.”
The Turkish Treasury has not responded to an earlier request from the SSM to back an international loan to finance the purchase; however, Erdoğan, during the meeting of the committee, pledged to resolve the funding hurdle. “The prime minister assured committee members that the financing problem should be resolved in the next couple of months,” the official said.
Without having secured backing for a loan or other means of financing the SSM will not be able to release the RfP.The move to beef up the country's weak air defenses comes at a time when there is increasing controversy over neighboring Iran's nuclear program. Procurement officials are presently weighing options to acquire modest quantities of medium and long-range air defense systems to protect the country vis-à-vis missile and/or non-conventional warfare threat.
They are mulling over buying four batteries of theater air defense systems, aiming to protect Turkey's strategic targets against potential strikes by enemy missiles. Last October, the SSM took charge of the air defense program.
Analysts say Ankara cannot choose “any air defense system” as it prefers to acquire systems with anti-missile capabilities because Turkey's security policy-makers do not expect any serious aircraft threat from any potential enemy. One official said that the main purpose of the program is to build an air defense shield against mainly enemy missiles, not aircraft.
Although Turkey's theater air defense program is at a preliminary stage, procurement officials and analysts said the two strongest candidates were the U.S. PAC-3 and Russia's S-300 systems.
The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) is an upgraded version of Raytheon's MIM-104 Patriot medium and long-range surface-to-air missiles.
The Patriot was extensively used during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and is the only combat-proven tactical ballistic missile defense system.
Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control unit is now prime systems integrator in the PAC-3 program.
So far various Patriot versions have been sold to Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan and Spain. Russia's S-300P long-range air defense systems, also known as SA-10 Grumble in NATO terminology, has been developed by the air defense concern Almaz-Antei. Export users of the S-300P include China, India, Greece, Croatia, Slovakia and Vietnam. Russia recently has developed the Triumf S-400 as an upgrade to the S-300P for Moscow's air defenses.
A third major air defense system is the Arrow 2, jointly developed by Israeli Aircraft Systems and Boeing for Israel's defense purposes. However, Turkish officials say they believe that system probably was not possible to acquire due to manufacturers' reluctance vis-à-vis technology transfer.
Although Turkey neighbors potential adversaries like Iran and Syria, both having rather advanced surface-to-surface missiles, its lack of modern theater air defense systems is seen as one of the country's key defense weaknesses.
Turkey's move comes at a time when Iran is feared to be involved in a serious effort to obtain nuclear weapons and medium and long-range missiles to deliver them.
In the wake of the 1991 Gulf war and in the late '90s Turkey twice had considered purchasing such systems, but financial hardships prevented a deal.
During the 1991 Gulf war and Iraq's 2003 invasion, U.S. and European air defense systems were temporarily deployed to Turkey.
I hope Turkey will choose Hit to Kıll PAC-3
regards,
CDTRF