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Turkey to buy Cobra helicopters from US, minister says
Gönül’s statement comes after year-long negotiations with the US, which has until recently been dragging its feet over selling Turkey the Cobra helicopters.
Minister Gönül, responding Today’s Zaman’s questions during a reception hosted by President Abdullah Gül on Thursday evening to mark Republic Day, said that it was the first time that the US had responded positively and in writing to the Turkish request for the Cobra purchase. “We want the US to deliver Cobra helicopters in 2010,” Gönül said.
Earlier this year Turkey sought to purchase 12 Cobra helicopters estimated to cost about $1.5 billion from the US to meet its stop-gap measures in the fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey also said on Oct. 23 that the US has agreed to sell Turkey AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Jeffrey confirmed the sale at the press conference, held with a group of Turkish journalists in Ankara, but declined to elaborate on the number of helicopters, price and delivery dates of the attack helicopters.
Today’s Zaman, however, has learned that US may deliver eight to 10 attack helicopters to Turkey, the latest in 2011.
Gönül recalled that he met with US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates several weeks ago during a NATO meeting, where he told Gates that Turkey wished to see the delivery of the helicopters in 2010 instead of 2011.
Recalling that the delivery of the attack helicopters to be produced jointly by Turkey’s Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Italian AgustaWestland will begin in 2013, Minister Gönül stated that, thus, Turkey has been seeking US delivery of Cobra helicopters in 2010 for its urgent needs. The US, in return, stated that the Cobras can be delivered in 2011, when the US forces withdraw from Iraq.
The US had initially refused the Turkish request for Cobras, possibly in response to Turkey’s signing of an attack helicopter production agreement with AgustaWestland last year worth about $3 billion.
Washington’s decision to sell the Cobras to Turkey comes at a time when Ankara has softened its contract terms and conditions in arms tenders, a move that has made it easier for US companies to compete in Turkish arms acquisition projects.
Minister Gönül, meanwhile, stated that Turkey has increasingly been producing arms through local means. The majority of the arms exhibited during the Aug. 30 Victory Day celebrations were locally made arms systems, he said. He also recalled that two former chiefs of General Staffs, retired generals Hilmi Özkök and Yaşar Büyükanıt, in addition to current Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, have supported policies to strengthen local industry in domestic arms production.
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