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Korean bidder wins Turkish military aircraft contract

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  • Korean bidder wins Turkish military aircraft contract

    Korean bidder wins Turkish military aircraft contract

    Wednesday, June 27, 2007

    Korean Aerospace Industries will sell basic trainer aircraft to the Turkish Air Force in a contract worth around $450 million

    Ankara – Turkish Daily News

    South Korea's aerospace powerhouse Korean Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) has won a contract to sell up to 54 basic trainer aircraft to the Turkish Air Force.
    KAI, maker of the KT-1 trainer aircraft, was competing with a Brazilian rival, Embraer, maker of the Super Tucano. Industry sources estimate the contract price to be at around $450 million.

    Turkey's defense procurement office, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) has announced that it will open contract negotiations with KAI for the trainer aircraft program.

    Korean officials described the number of aircraft as ‘more than 30' whereas Turkish officials said the number can go up to 54.

    A Turkish procurement official familiar with the trainer aircraft said that KAI offered a better price and participation for local industry. “We are hoping to begin contract negotiations in the days ahead and conclude the contract as soon as possible, and I don't think there will be any sticky issues,” the official said.

    The SSM also said that it decided to build the South Korean-made XK-2 main battle tank under a licensing agreement. Turkey had earlier awarded a contract to armored vehicles manufacturer Otokar to design, develop and build what would become Turkey's first national new generation main battle tank. The government will channel around $500 million to Otokar for the task.

    Negotiations will also begin soon for licenses to build the XK-2 tank, which bears an indigenous 120mm/55-caliber smooth bore gun and can hit 70 kilometers per hour on paved roads. South Korea advertises the XK-2, unveiled in March, as a peer to the U.S. M1A2 SEP and the French Leclerc tanks.

    The South Korean Air Force operates 85 KT-1s, which entered service in 2000. The 10.3-meter turboprop plane has a top speed of 574 kilometers per hour, a maximum altitude of roughly 10,000 meters, and a range of 1,700 kilometers. Indonesia has also purchased 19 KT-1s in two batches, seven in a $60 million deal in 2003 and in 2006.

    The tank and trainer aircraft contracts together will make the combination Seoul's second biggest export sale following the $1 billion licensing of artillery to Turkey in 2001.

  • #2
    XK-2 Black Panther? I'd like to see it in action vs the Arjun MBT.
    I have no idea what I'm doing. Honestly!

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    • #3
      Why on earth do Turkey burn money on Military hardware when the vast majority of their population are living in poverty?

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      • #4
        XK-2 Black Panther? I'd like to see it in action vs the Arjun MBT
        The Turkish variant will probably be a somewhat modified version of the XK-2. The primary contractor is Otokar -the company that has been producing the Akrep and Cobra APCs- and they will probably be more interested in acquiring the know-how, rather than copying the tank itself. The aim of the project is to make Turkey self sufficient in MBT production in the medium term.

        Why on earth do Turkey burn money on Military hardware when the vast majority of their population are living in poverty?
        There are several reasons

        1 - Classical threat perceptions:
        Greece: Cyprus, Territorial Waters, Aegean Airspace, undetermined status of minor Aegean islands,Minorities...remain unsolved and cause contant friction between the countries. Remember that Turkey and Greece came to the brink of war during the Kardak rocks crisis. Both countries most modern equipment is located near or around the points where clash is imminent. Acquisation of modern military equipment is a mini arms race between the countries with no let up in sight.

        2 - Terrorism: Turkey has been the victim of PKK/KADEK terrorism since 1983. 30.000+ lives have been lost as a result of terrorism associated activities. Recently 70+ soldiers were killed from January until June as a result of minelaying and attacks on Turkish military outposts. Please try to imagine he impact of the loss of some many lives in a Western Democracy.

        3 - Iraq Reconstruction: Following the fall of Saddam regime and the resulting turmoil, Northern Iraq has become an even safer haven for seperatist/terrorist organizations.

        4 - Russia: Turkey and Russia have conflicting interest in the area, especially in the Caucasus. Morevoer, Russia has always been a classical threat source for Turkish military calculations.

        5 - Iran: A proposed US led attack on Iran is feared to spill over to Turkey. Also PKK/KADEK operations from NW Iran to Turkey continues.

        A final note, military spending vs. economy is a very old argument with many pros and cons. Security perceptions and threat evaluations are in the end subjective and are determined by policy makers. Arms spending in developing and under developed countries is a global phenomenon and not necessarily limited only to Turkey. I do not think it is progressive to discuss a global issue by magnifying single countries preferences/decisions.

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        • #5
          Its the real thing

          Originally posted by Cornishchunky View Post
          Why on earth do Turkey burn money on Military hardware when the vast majority of their population are living in poverty?
          I'd like to teach the world to sing in pefect harmony, grow apple trees and honey bees and keep them company. For it is written, the meek shall inherit the earth........AND THEN 5 MINUTES LATER THE STRONG SHALL TAKE IT FROM THEM.

          Hugging trees and asking governments to feed the poor is so easy. So warm and cuddly. But it won't stop Iranian shia fundamentalists or ex-soviet Russians from streaming across the border the moment they see the tree huggers winning the opinion leaders over

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