Turkey Shortlists 2 Attack Helicopters

In July 2006, Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul announced that Turkey will continue talks with Denel of South Africa (AH-2A Rooivalk) and Agusta Aerospace of Italy (A129 International) for Turkey's Land Forces Command's Tactical Reconnaissance & Attack Helicopter (ATAK) Project. Neither has been exported before. The Franco-German EADS Eurocopter (Tiger) and Kamov of Russia (Ka-50-2 Erdogan with IAI) were eliminated.

These platforms are competing for co-production of 30 helicopters with options for another 20 more. Even so, this projected $1.6 billion contract is well short of the 91 attack helicopters Turkey had originally aimed to co-produce when it began this procurement effort - in the mid-1990s.

DID has covered difficulties with this competition before. All three US firms that had participated in previous rounds withdrew because of technology transfer and production issues. This round also seemed imperiled following reports of dissatisfaction with the available choices in the Turkish military - but the competition appears to have survived long enough to pick a "winner"...


The "Winner"


Defense Minister Gonul made the Turkish perspective clear long ago 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.

These terms are about to become reality for one of the bidders. Finmeccanica subsidiary AugustaWestland issued this announcement on March 30, 2007:
"The Turkish Executive Committee has announced today that it is to start contract negotiations with AgustaWestland, in partnership with Turkish Aviation Industry (TAI), for the Tactical Reconnaissance and Attack Helicopter - ATAK Project - for the Turkish Land Forces Command. The estimated value of this programme to AgustaWestland is in excess of 1.2 billion EURO based on the requirement for 51 A129 helicopters." [DID: currently about $1.6 billion]

"....The AgustaWestland proposal includes significant industrial benefits for Turkey. Several leading Turkish aerospace companies, such as TAI and Aselsan, will be involved in the programme. Final assembly, delivery and acceptance of the aircraft will also take place in Turkey. The A129 is a multi-role combat helicopter designed for day/night and adverse weather combat operations. The A129, powered by two LHTEC T800 turboshaft engines, has a state-of-the-art cockpit...."

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 offers 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.
DID would caution its readers, however, by noting that the release is merely announcing the beginning of negotiations. While "preferred source" negotiations have a strong record of success, this is also the exact stage in the process where previous acquisition attempts have failed. The Turkish News quoted an industry source some time ago: "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."

Time will tell.

"I Coulda Been A Contenda..."

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 the production arrangement described above, 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's Tiger and Kamov/IAI's KA-50/KA-52 were reportedly eliminated when the Turkish government chose the two lowest-cost bidders.


AH-2A Rooivalk
(click to view full)The Denel Rooivalk (trans. "Red Hawk," or more properly "Kestrel") 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 reported that Eurocopter who supplies the Rooivalk's engines and some spare parts, 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.


Eurocopter Tiger HACThe 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.

Those issues appear to have been finessed... at least for now.

UPDATES:

March 30/07: AugustaWestland announces that the A129 Mangusta has been selected.

Dec 2/06: Turkish Daily News reports that the competition is stalled, and will either be formally canceled or simply frozen into immobility:

"Under pressure from the end-user, procurement authorities will likely cancel the existing competition, defense officials admit. "None of the short-listed solutions fully satisfies the end-user," said one official. "We may renew the competition, or go for an off-the-shelf purchase. That's unknown for the moment...."

"Turkey's top governmental panel that oversees procurement decisions will convene on Dec. 12 to discuss the attack helicopter program along with others, most notably a decision to opt for the U.S.-led Joint Strike Fighter F-35 fighter aircraft.... The attack helicopter program will be discussed, probably with no full agreement. "There may or may not be an official announcement for the cancellation of the current bidding process," a procurement official familiar with the program said. "But in any case it would not be realistic to expect any progress, with the military deeply dissatisfied over the existing bids." The Defense Industry Executive Committee is chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and includes Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanıt and head of the [SSM] procurement office... Murad Bayar."


Source : Defence Industry Daily (Defense News)
Military Purchasing News for Defense Procurement Managers and Contractors
(http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com)

Photo : http://www.xairforces.com


(21.04.2007)