Turkeys Finally Edgeing Towards AEW&C…….

Although there is still some things to sort out it looks like Turkey has sold enough Olives & tomatoes to buy them…..:)
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ANKARA, April 22 (AFP) – 15:44 GMT – Turkey has finalized a contract with the US aerospace giant Boeing to purchase four early-warning aircraft in a deal worth about 1.5 billion dollars, a Turkish defence ministry source said Tuesday.
“The go-ahead has been given” on the purchase of the Boeing airborne early warning and control system (AEWC) aircraft, the source said, without giving further details.

The press reported Tuesday that approval of the deal — clouded by uncertainty since last year because of Ankara’s financial troubles — saw some dramatic moments.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was reportedly opposed to the project, telephoned Boeing executives just 15 minutes before a Sunday midnight deadline for Ankara to give its answer, several newspapers said.

Erdogan was said to be unhappy that the cost of the project exceeded the initial estimate by about 400 million dollars.

The head of the Turkish air force reportedly persuaded the prime minister to approve the deal, arguing that the procurement was vital for the country’s defense.

The AEWC system is a variation of Boeing’s airborne warning and control system known as AWACS. AEWC aircraft are equipped with a new radar mechanism that operates electronically rather than mechanically, as is the case with

Turkey, which has the biggest army in NATO after the United States, has no such aircraft and was forced to request several of the planes from NATO during the war in Iraq to protect itself from possible retaliatory strikes by its neighbor.

A preliminary contract was signed in June 2002 after lengthy talks with Boeing.

The first aircraft will be delivered to Turkey in 2007, while the construction of the remaining three will be completed in Turkey with the contribution of local companies, according to the press.

A severe economic crisis has forced Ankara to postpone a number of defense industry projects, including a tender for 145 combat helicopters and another for 1,000 tanks.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/afp/defense/030422154448.nlnu7t3u.html