Despite JSF Pact, Turkey Doesn’t Rule Out Eurofighter Buy
Turkey and the United States on Jan. 25 signed a memorandum of understanding sealing Ankara’s partnership in the production phase of the U.S-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, but the NATO ally’s defense minister said an additional purchase of the rival European-built Eurofighter still is possible.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and Gordon England, U.S. deputy defense secretary, inked the document during a Pentagon ceremony.
Ankara announced in early December its plans to buy 100 F-35s in a program worth some $11 billion over the next 20 years.
Deliveries are planned to begin in 2014 and, as a stop-gap solution to meet its Air Force’s needs until then, Turkey also has decided to buy 30 new F-16 Block 50 fighters worth $1.65 billion. Lockheed Martin leads the JSF effort and manufactures the F-16.
Until late last year, Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter consortium had been in a fierce competition to market their products in Turkey. The civilian government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the procurement agency had preferred a mixed purchase of the JSF and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
But the Air Force, whose current fighter fleet is exclusively of U.S. design, opted for an all-American solution, and eventually the military’s position prevailed.
“Under our present budget considerations, we are not buying the Eurofighter. That money goes to the new 30 F-16s,” Gonul said Jan. 25 in Washington. “But next year, the situation may change. It will all depend on the next government’s decision.”
Turkey’s next legislative elections are scheduled for November.
“This means that if Erdogan’s party wins the elections, which is likely, it probably would want to additionally buy one squadron of Eurofighters if it can find funding,” one Ankara-based analyst said. “So it is still early to say that the Eurofighter completely has lost the Turkish market.”
At the Pentagon ceremony, Gonul said that the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the F-35 was a milestone for the Turkish Air Force.
“The Turkish government is very proud of being a part of the JSF program,” he said. “We will benefit from this art of technology.”
“I’m pleased that our two nations, our two industries, will continue to deepen our very close ties,” England said.
More Signatures Soon: Officials
With Australia, Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and Turkey now signed on to the JSF effort, program officials expect to garner production phase commitments from Italy, Norway and Denmark in the coming weeks.
Pentagon and Lockheed Martin officials said they expect Norway to sign Jan. 31, with Italy to follow in early February and Denmark by the end of February.
At a Jan. 23 conference in Fort Worth, Texas, of chief executives from participating companies, officials also confirmed the first low rate initiatial production (LRIP) contract would be awarded in late summer, with the second LRIP award in late May or early June 2008.
The memorandum represents only an intention to buy the aircraft and not a full commitment to purchase. The partner nations by 2012 need to make final decisions about how many JSFs they will acquire.
But the partners in the F-35’s production phase are due to pay a fee for their participation. For Turkey, for example, it will be $750 million.
Turkish procurement officials said Ankara expects to obtain for its local industry a work share of more than $5 billion in the F-35’s production.
“So far, we have secured a local work share worth $4.2 billion,” said one official. “With the addition of some more contracts on the engine and electronics, we expect to be well over $5 billion.”
Turkey’s F-35s are to replace the Air Force’s older F-16s and Vietnam War-era F-4Es.
Valued at more than $280 billion, the F-35 is the Pentagon’s largest defense program. Eventually, more than 3,200 aircraft are expected to be built, with the United States buying more than 2,400. •
Gayle S. Putrich contributed to this report from Washington.
By UMIT ENGINSOY, WASHINGTON And BURAK EGE BEKDIL, ANKARA, LINK...
Turkey and the United States on Jan. 25 signed a memorandum of understanding sealing Ankara’s partnership in the production phase of the U.S-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, but the NATO ally’s defense minister said an additional purchase of the rival European-built Eurofighter still is possible.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and Gordon England, U.S. deputy defense secretary, inked the document during a Pentagon ceremony.
Ankara announced in early December its plans to buy 100 F-35s in a program worth some $11 billion over the next 20 years.
Deliveries are planned to begin in 2014 and, as a stop-gap solution to meet its Air Force’s needs until then, Turkey also has decided to buy 30 new F-16 Block 50 fighters worth $1.65 billion. Lockheed Martin leads the JSF effort and manufactures the F-16.
Until late last year, Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter consortium had been in a fierce competition to market their products in Turkey. The civilian government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the procurement agency had preferred a mixed purchase of the JSF and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
But the Air Force, whose current fighter fleet is exclusively of U.S. design, opted for an all-American solution, and eventually the military’s position prevailed.
“Under our present budget considerations, we are not buying the Eurofighter. That money goes to the new 30 F-16s,” Gonul said Jan. 25 in Washington. “But next year, the situation may change. It will all depend on the next government’s decision.”
Turkey’s next legislative elections are scheduled for November.
“This means that if Erdogan’s party wins the elections, which is likely, it probably would want to additionally buy one squadron of Eurofighters if it can find funding,” one Ankara-based analyst said. “So it is still early to say that the Eurofighter completely has lost the Turkish market.”
At the Pentagon ceremony, Gonul said that the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the F-35 was a milestone for the Turkish Air Force.
“The Turkish government is very proud of being a part of the JSF program,” he said. “We will benefit from this art of technology.”
“I’m pleased that our two nations, our two industries, will continue to deepen our very close ties,” England said.
More Signatures Soon: Officials
With Australia, Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and Turkey now signed on to the JSF effort, program officials expect to garner production phase commitments from Italy, Norway and Denmark in the coming weeks.
Pentagon and Lockheed Martin officials said they expect Norway to sign Jan. 31, with Italy to follow in early February and Denmark by the end of February.
At a Jan. 23 conference in Fort Worth, Texas, of chief executives from participating companies, officials also confirmed the first low rate initiatial production (LRIP) contract would be awarded in late summer, with the second LRIP award in late May or early June 2008.
The memorandum represents only an intention to buy the aircraft and not a full commitment to purchase. The partner nations by 2012 need to make final decisions about how many JSFs they will acquire.
But the partners in the F-35’s production phase are due to pay a fee for their participation. For Turkey, for example, it will be $750 million.
Turkish procurement officials said Ankara expects to obtain for its local industry a work share of more than $5 billion in the F-35’s production.
“So far, we have secured a local work share worth $4.2 billion,” said one official. “With the addition of some more contracts on the engine and electronics, we expect to be well over $5 billion.”
Turkey’s F-35s are to replace the Air Force’s older F-16s and Vietnam War-era F-4Es.
Valued at more than $280 billion, the F-35 is the Pentagon’s largest defense program. Eventually, more than 3,200 aircraft are expected to be built, with the United States buying more than 2,400. •
Gayle S. Putrich contributed to this report from Washington.
By UMIT ENGINSOY, WASHINGTON And BURAK EGE BEKDIL, ANKARA, LINK...
Comments