Defense Minister Gonul made the Turkish perspective clear when he noted that “the goal is to co-produce the helicopters, not to buy them off the shelf.” The Houston Chronicle reports that bidding rules also included full access to the aircraft’s specific software codes, and a written guarantee from the provider’s government that there will be no political obstacles to the export of the arms. Boeing (AH-64 Apache), Bell Textron (AH-1Z Viper, who won the previous Turkish competition in 2004 until the deal fell through), and Sikorsky (S-70 Strikehawk variant of the Black Hawk utility helicopter in service with the Turkish Armed Forces) were uninterested in that production arrangement, and could not offer such guarantees under US export control arrangements; as such, none of them bid this round by the Dec. 5, 2005 bidding deadline.
EADS Eurocopter and Kamov/IAI were reportedly eliminated when the Turkish government chose the two lowest-cost bidders.
The A129 Mangusta (trans. “Mongoose”) entered service with the Italian Army in 1989; AugustaWestland offered it as a base for the Franco-German Tiger partnership, but cooperation was declined in favor of a Franco-German R&D program. The current service inventory is 60 machines, 15 of which are the more modern A129 International standard with uprated engines, rotors (5-bladed vs. 4), weapons, and defensive systems. The other 45 are being upgraded to that level under a 2002 contract, and deliveries are expected to be complete in 2008. This helicopter is notable for its low frontal profile and a good mix of surveillance, gun and missile capabilities, but it has not been successfully exported to date. The A129 has seen service with Italian forces in Angola, Macedonia, Somalia, and Iraq.
The Denel Rooivalk (trans. “Red Hawk”) is a heavier attack helicopter, with fewer integrated weapons systems than the A129. One of its key features is that it has been designed to operate in very basic surroundings for prolonged periods without sophisticated support. At present, the only Rooivalks produced since the helicopter’s inauguration in 1999 have been 12 machines for the South African Defense Forces. The Malaysian Defence Force supposedly has plans to acquire Rooivalk helicopters “when funding is available,” and South Africa’s Port Elizabeth Herald quotes analysts who believe that a win in Turkey might also tip Pakistan toward the platform.
Middle Eastern Newsline offers a further report that South Africa has outlined plans to co-produce a range of platforms in Turkey as part of a defense partnership based on Ankara’s attack helicopter program. They said South Africa has offered one of the most generous offset deals as part of its offer of the Rooivalk attack helicopter to the Turkish Army. “Under the offer, Turkey and South Africa would create a strategic defense partnership that would rapidly develop out defense industries,” a Turkish official said.
On the flip side, the Turkish Daily News reports that Eurocopter who supplies the Rooivalk’s engines and some spare part, has said that it would not guarantee a supply line for Turkey if Ankara chose the Rooivalk.
Note that both Agusta and Denel propose moving their production lines to Turkey.
The shortlist was something of a surprise to many observers, and the Turkish Daily News reports that it may even lead to friction between the government and the military. Turkey’s military, which has a large political role as the de facto guarantor of Kemal Attaturk’s secularist vision, was reportedly split between the Eurocopter Tiger and Boeing Apache. The paper further notes that Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, the most critical military figure concerning the attack helicopter program and possibly the next Chief of Staff, was not present at the meeting.
This would be a good place for DID to bring up our coverage of this competition’s past history, which has been rocky at best, as a warning. Even the Turkish News quotes an industry source as saying that “Our procurement history is full of illusions of victory… When a bidder wins a contract it thinks the game is over. It may not be so.”
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July 8, 2006 at 8:01 am