I wonder if the Anka will have an attack role and if it does, what kind of munition it will use.

The video footage I quoted above shows the FLIR screen of an ASELFLIR-300T. This system is being used by Heron 1 and Anka UAV’s. Anka is in development and testing stage and a weaponized version is far far away. So it is almost 100% certain that Heron’s are actively involved in ISTAR operations at the border, which is of course no surprise.

Local media claims NEB (Nufuz Edici Bomba – Penetrator Bomb) bombs are being heavily used against PKK bunkers and underground facilities. This bomb was developed by TUBITAK SAGE.

Turkey Releases RFI for Fighter Program

ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish government finally released a Request for Information (RFI) for its ambitious program for the design, development and production of an indigenous fighter jet.

The country’s procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), defined in the RFI document the scope of the fighter program, dubbed TF-X, as “indigenous design, development and production activities of the first Turkish fighter aircraft to meet Turkish Armed Forces’ next generation fighter requirements and replace the existing F-16 fighter fleet starting from 2030s.”

Companies or organizations capable of designing, developing and manufacturing the planned aircraft are invited to obtain an electronic copy of the RFI from SSM.

“This is a critical stage for the program,” a senior SSM official familiar with the program said. “We wish to see which companies would be willing to take part and which capabilities will be offered.

Turkey’s top procurement panel, the Defense Industry Executive Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, decided Jan. 7 to go ahead with the TF-X program after reviewing its feasibility.

At the meeting, the committee decided to move beyond the pre-concept design stage. It said that a twin-engine model would be pursued in the national fighter aircraft program.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/strike/2015/03/15/turkey-releases-rfi-for-fighter-program/24816789/

BAE Systems, Saab and Airbus Defence responded to the RfI for partnership.

Meanwhile, EuroJet, with the advantage of its cooperation agreement with local company ASELSAN, is pitching for EJ200.

Interesting. I don’t recall. was the possibility of trying to develop an indigenous engine ruled out? If it was, Eurojet would not be helping with that.

From the very start, developing an engine from scratch was ruled out due to lack of experience and technological infrastructure. Instead, a local production with transfer of technology was selected with the aim of gradually increasing know how.

Eurofighter has been offering subsystems (like the radar) of the Typhoon since 2-3 years apart from the Typhoon 2020 proposal for the TFX.

Some details emerged regarding the three design alternatives of the TFX.

Maximum take off weights:

FX1 (twin engines): 70,000lb
FX5 (single engine): 50,000lb
FX6 (single engine): 60,000lb

Eurojet seems to be pressing hard, with an extensive advertorial published in Turkish defence magazine for EJ200. Pratt&Whitney recently opened an R&D center with Turkish partner Kale Aero, also a partner in the JSF programme.

Engine selection seems to be playing the key for the future of the project.

Who wants to prepare an artwork for Ukrainian F-16’s? 🙂

Not a far fetched probability, it seems.

Situation in Turkey:

1st AJU
111 Filo: 20+ F-4E 2020 Terminator
112 Filo: F-4E/TM. Withdrawn from service. Using some F-4E 2020’s on loan from 111.
113 Filo: RF-4E/TM. No current information, probably one or two remain in service.

3rd AJU
132 Filo: A couple of F-4E 2020’s in test, evaluation and Anatolian Eagle exercise.

7th AJU
171 Filo: 20+ F-4E 2020 Terminator
172 Filo: F-4E/TM. Withdrawn from use, disbanded.
173 Filo: RF-4E/TM. A couple of them still flying.

Weapons and systems:
Air to air: AIM-9L/M
Air to Ground: GBU-8/10/12, AGM-65, Popeye I, SOM cruise missile, HGK GPS/INS bomb kit, KGK GPS/INS wing kit, NEB penetration bomb kit for LGB’s
Pods: Pave Spike, ASELPOD, EL/L-8222

Note:
Filo means Squadron in Turkish
AJU: Ana Jet Ussu means Main Jet Base

NATO isn’t going in on any Syrian strike – all NATO focuses are on containment. So far any action on Syria is US and possibly French.

In fact the Turks are begging for NATO/US intervention.

They want their cake and they want to eat it too.

Except for the most of part of the conservative portion, of which is mostly composed of Sunni sect, public opinion seems highly skeptic about a military intervention against Syria. The idea of a buffer zone several km’s deep along the border has been weighed, and seems the most possible option by now, only if it was not complicated by the ethnic composition at the Syrian side.

The government however, supports a multinational coalition operation, and not just in air-domain but a multi stage one, backed with maybe land offensive. Not surprisingly, this idea found not much support in the international community and now the government seems to voice an UN-based initiative.

On the other hand, Turkish army has been moving more and more mechanized units to the border. Yesterday the MoND issued a “just in case” notice to civilian 4×4 SUV owners, to be prepared for a mobilization. I don’t know if it’s the same in other countries, but in Turkey in times of mobilization, 4×4 SUV owners are obliged to hand over their vehicles to the military temporarily if need arises.