Clearday-TRForce
12-12-2006, 02:40 PM
Panel's meeting today to bring together Erdoğan and Büyükanıt for first time since their dispute on EU, Cyprus
ÜMİT ENGİNSOY
ANKARA/WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News
Turkey's top defense procurement panel is expected to announce officially today (Tuesday) that the NATO ally intends to take part in the production phase of the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), in a move designed to eventually buy that platform as the air force's new-generation fighter aircraft, defense sources said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt, Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and procurement chief Murad Bayar are due to attend the meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee. The panel's previous gathering scheduled for late October could not take place when Erdoğan got sick at the time.
The panel's top agenda item will be a decision on the F-35. The acquisition of a new-generation fighter, worth more than $10 billion, is Turkey's largest defense procurement program in history.
Gönül said in Washington on Oct. 30 that Ankara planned to buy around 100 F-35s over the next 15 years, and today's committee meeting is expected to formalize that path.
Still, the announcement will not mean a final and solid commitment to buy the aircraft. That decision is planned to come in 2008.
In a next step, Turkey is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding before the yearend, officially making the country one of the nine participants in the JSF program's production phase.
That phase's members also include the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark and Norway. Israel, Singapore and South Korea also are interested in buying the F-35.
In the Pentagon's largest contract in history worth more than $280 billion, over 3,000 F-35 Lightning II aircraft are planned to be produced eventually, with the United States buying around 2,400. Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense company is the program's prime contractor.
The new-generation fighters are planned to replace the Turkish Air Force's present fleet of older F-16s and the Vietnam War-era F-4Es.
Until recently the F-35 JSF had been in competition with Europe's Eurofighter Typhoon for the Turkish market, but the military ultimately opted for the U.S.-led option.
Today's committee meeting also comes amid heightened tensions between Erdoğan's civilian government and the military over a dispute on Cyprus and European Union matters.
Erdoğan's government signaled last week that Ankara would be ready to open one port to trade from the Greek Cypriot Administration, an EU member, in a last-minute effort to prevent a partial suspension of membership negotiations with the wealthy bloc.
But the latest offer met with opposition from the military, with Büyükanıt saying that he had not been consulted but had learned of the proposal from television. He said the move was against Turkey's national policy.
Erdoğan later said the government did not need to consult with the military about this "verbal proposal." Also Foreign Ministry officials said the military had been informed of the offer.
Some EU officials welcomed the Erdoğan government's move, but said it fell short of meeting the EU criteria.
The EU wants Turkey to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic, but Ankara insists on a simultaneous lifting of economic sanctions on Turkish Cypriots.
The European Commission, the EU's executive body, last week recommended suspending eight out of 35 policy chapters in Turkey's EU accession negotiations and refusing to conclude talks in any sector until it complies on trade with Greek Cypriots. EU leaders are due to finalize the bloc's position later this week.
The Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting will be the first platform bringing together Erdoğan and Büyükanıt since the rift erupted, and some analysts said the tensions could be reflected to today's session.
The committee also is expected to authorize Bayar's Undersecretariat for Defense Industries to finalize talks with the United States for a planned purchase of 30 new F-16 Block 50 fighter aircraft worth around $1.7 billion. Lockheed Martin produces the F-16s, and Turkey's Tusaş Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI) is expected to take part in the new batch's manufacture.
The panel also may decide to restructure a multibillion-dollar program to buy at least 30 attack helicopters. Presently, an Italian-British group and a South African company are competing in an official bid to win the Turkish contract.
But with the military unsatisfied with the two options, the committee may decide to widen the competition, defense analysts said.
Wowww...
Decisions;
- 100+ JSF planes will be ok. (Eurofighter is in doubt but still on table)
- AIP Submarines
- And yesss...Denel's Rooivalk Assault Hels will be tested in Turkey.
- Latest F16 B50s will be joined air force. Numbers are between 30-40.
woot
ÜMİT ENGİNSOY
ANKARA/WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News
Turkey's top defense procurement panel is expected to announce officially today (Tuesday) that the NATO ally intends to take part in the production phase of the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), in a move designed to eventually buy that platform as the air force's new-generation fighter aircraft, defense sources said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt, Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and procurement chief Murad Bayar are due to attend the meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee. The panel's previous gathering scheduled for late October could not take place when Erdoğan got sick at the time.
The panel's top agenda item will be a decision on the F-35. The acquisition of a new-generation fighter, worth more than $10 billion, is Turkey's largest defense procurement program in history.
Gönül said in Washington on Oct. 30 that Ankara planned to buy around 100 F-35s over the next 15 years, and today's committee meeting is expected to formalize that path.
Still, the announcement will not mean a final and solid commitment to buy the aircraft. That decision is planned to come in 2008.
In a next step, Turkey is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding before the yearend, officially making the country one of the nine participants in the JSF program's production phase.
That phase's members also include the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark and Norway. Israel, Singapore and South Korea also are interested in buying the F-35.
In the Pentagon's largest contract in history worth more than $280 billion, over 3,000 F-35 Lightning II aircraft are planned to be produced eventually, with the United States buying around 2,400. Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense company is the program's prime contractor.
The new-generation fighters are planned to replace the Turkish Air Force's present fleet of older F-16s and the Vietnam War-era F-4Es.
Until recently the F-35 JSF had been in competition with Europe's Eurofighter Typhoon for the Turkish market, but the military ultimately opted for the U.S.-led option.
Today's committee meeting also comes amid heightened tensions between Erdoğan's civilian government and the military over a dispute on Cyprus and European Union matters.
Erdoğan's government signaled last week that Ankara would be ready to open one port to trade from the Greek Cypriot Administration, an EU member, in a last-minute effort to prevent a partial suspension of membership negotiations with the wealthy bloc.
But the latest offer met with opposition from the military, with Büyükanıt saying that he had not been consulted but had learned of the proposal from television. He said the move was against Turkey's national policy.
Erdoğan later said the government did not need to consult with the military about this "verbal proposal." Also Foreign Ministry officials said the military had been informed of the offer.
Some EU officials welcomed the Erdoğan government's move, but said it fell short of meeting the EU criteria.
The EU wants Turkey to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic, but Ankara insists on a simultaneous lifting of economic sanctions on Turkish Cypriots.
The European Commission, the EU's executive body, last week recommended suspending eight out of 35 policy chapters in Turkey's EU accession negotiations and refusing to conclude talks in any sector until it complies on trade with Greek Cypriots. EU leaders are due to finalize the bloc's position later this week.
The Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting will be the first platform bringing together Erdoğan and Büyükanıt since the rift erupted, and some analysts said the tensions could be reflected to today's session.
The committee also is expected to authorize Bayar's Undersecretariat for Defense Industries to finalize talks with the United States for a planned purchase of 30 new F-16 Block 50 fighter aircraft worth around $1.7 billion. Lockheed Martin produces the F-16s, and Turkey's Tusaş Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI) is expected to take part in the new batch's manufacture.
The panel also may decide to restructure a multibillion-dollar program to buy at least 30 attack helicopters. Presently, an Italian-British group and a South African company are competing in an official bid to win the Turkish contract.
But with the military unsatisfied with the two options, the committee may decide to widen the competition, defense analysts said.
Wowww...
Decisions;
- 100+ JSF planes will be ok. (Eurofighter is in doubt but still on table)
- AIP Submarines
- And yesss...Denel's Rooivalk Assault Hels will be tested in Turkey.
- Latest F16 B50s will be joined air force. Numbers are between 30-40.
woot