Ankara Plans JSF Buy, Athens Caps Spending
In Turkey, the top acquisition priority is 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs), worth nearly $10.7 billion over the next 15 years.
U.S. and Turkish officials signed a memorandum of understanding in January, making Turkey one of nine nations in the JSF’s production phase. Ankara already has paid $175 million for its participation in the system development-and-demonstration phase, and will pay another $750 million for this one. Turkish procurement officials say they have secured local industry JSF work worth more than $4 billion. The F-35 is the largest defense program ever for Turkey, which has the largest military in NATO after the United States and an annual procurement budget of more than $4 billion.
In other large-scale programs by Turkish standards, the $1.6 billion project for four Boeing airborne early warning and control aircraft and related systems is faltering, with deliveries expected to be delayed more than 18 months; and Ankara is in final talks with Lockheed Martin in a $1.65 billion deal for 30 F-16 Block 50 fighters.
Turkey’s Mediterranean rival, Greece, has slowed arms buying to comply with EU norms for deficits and to hold defense spending below 1 percent of gross domestic product, estimated at $238.2 billion for 2005, until 2015. This is half of the 2 percent spent on defense from 1999 to 2003.
The military’s midterm unified armaments procurement plan (EMPAE) for 2006-15 has a total budget of 26.7 billion euros ($35.1 billion) and faces big delays. Top priorities include six new multipurpose frigates, budgeted at 2.2 billion euros, and 45 advanced and operational training aircraft, budgeted at 900 million euros.
Two programs are under the direct control of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff: the 100 million euro communication system based on the HELLASAT satellite, and the 40 million euro completion of the National Defense Communications System fiber-optic backbone.
The purchase of new fighter jets under the EMPAE will be addressed after national elections take place, as early as May and no later than March 2008. Athens will spend 2.6 billion euros on the fighters, including 1.2 billion euros for 30 F-16C/B Block 52+ planes. •
By UMIT ENGINSOY, WASHINGTON PERICLES N. ZORZOVILIS, ATHENS
defensenews.com , LINK
In Turkey, the top acquisition priority is 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs), worth nearly $10.7 billion over the next 15 years.
U.S. and Turkish officials signed a memorandum of understanding in January, making Turkey one of nine nations in the JSF’s production phase. Ankara already has paid $175 million for its participation in the system development-and-demonstration phase, and will pay another $750 million for this one. Turkish procurement officials say they have secured local industry JSF work worth more than $4 billion. The F-35 is the largest defense program ever for Turkey, which has the largest military in NATO after the United States and an annual procurement budget of more than $4 billion.
In other large-scale programs by Turkish standards, the $1.6 billion project for four Boeing airborne early warning and control aircraft and related systems is faltering, with deliveries expected to be delayed more than 18 months; and Ankara is in final talks with Lockheed Martin in a $1.65 billion deal for 30 F-16 Block 50 fighters.
Turkey’s Mediterranean rival, Greece, has slowed arms buying to comply with EU norms for deficits and to hold defense spending below 1 percent of gross domestic product, estimated at $238.2 billion for 2005, until 2015. This is half of the 2 percent spent on defense from 1999 to 2003.
The military’s midterm unified armaments procurement plan (EMPAE) for 2006-15 has a total budget of 26.7 billion euros ($35.1 billion) and faces big delays. Top priorities include six new multipurpose frigates, budgeted at 2.2 billion euros, and 45 advanced and operational training aircraft, budgeted at 900 million euros.
Two programs are under the direct control of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff: the 100 million euro communication system based on the HELLASAT satellite, and the 40 million euro completion of the National Defense Communications System fiber-optic backbone.
The purchase of new fighter jets under the EMPAE will be addressed after national elections take place, as early as May and no later than March 2008. Athens will spend 2.6 billion euros on the fighters, including 1.2 billion euros for 30 F-16C/B Block 52+ planes. •
By UMIT ENGINSOY, WASHINGTON PERICLES N. ZORZOVILIS, ATHENS
defensenews.com , LINK
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