Turkey, Britain sign military cooperation agreement

Turkey and Britain signed a military cooperation agreement during a three-day visit by President Abdullah Gül to London, a news report has said.

The report, which appeared in Jane’s Defence Weekly, said details of the agreement were not available but that it followed the signing of a strategic partnership agreement in Ankara by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his British counterpart, David Cameron, in July 2010. The 2010 agreement commits the two countries to strengthen their defense ties through regular talks and cooperation in defense manufacturing.

The latest agreement was signed on Nov. 23 by British Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond and Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar.

“Turkey is an important ally of the UK and as NATO partners we [the UK and Turkey] are bound by a pledge of collective defense. This bilateral treaty will take our defense co-operation to a new level,” the British Ministry of Defense said after the signing of the accord.

Britain has historically been a significant supplier of military material to Turkey, accounting for 8 percent of Ankara’s military imports since 2000. Current British export efforts in relation to Turkey center on the BAE Systems-led Global Combat Ship (GCS) program, with Ankara seen as a potential partner, according to Jane’s Defence, which described Turkey as one of the world’s fastest growing defense markets.

Turkish FM: Turkey-Israel relations still contingent on Israeli apology

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said that Turkish-Israeli relations will not return to normal until Israel apologizes to Turkey for the violent boarding of aid ship the Mavi Marmara in 2010.

Davutoğlu told reporters on Friday that Israel should apologize, pay compensation to families of the Turkish citizens killed during the boarding of the aid ship and end the embargo on Gaza. Otherwise, the minister stated, relations between Turkey and Israel will not be normalized.

Eight Turkish nationals and one American citizen of Turkish descent were killed in May 2010 when Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, the lead vessel in a six-ship Gaza-bound aid flotilla. The raid subsequently drew widespread condemnation from the international community and sent Turkish-Israeli relations to a historic low. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel, downsizing diplomatic relations to the level of second-secretary. Turkey also cancelled all standing military agreements.

“Israel should decide to be a part of either the problem or the solution,” Davutoğlu told reporters. The minister also spoke out against other aspects of Israeli policy, criticizing Israel to for continuing its settlement policy. The minister concluded by emphasizing that Turkey would react positively if Israel pursued a less hawkish foreign policy.

Turkey to rewrite software source codes of 204 F-16 fighters

The US administration agreed in principle almost two months ago for the transfer of information over software source codes of US Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighters to Turkey.

Once the agreement is completed, and if approved by the US Congress, Turkey will have the capability to automatically modify the software source codes of the fighters’ weapons systems with national software source codes, said US sources who asked not to be named.Turkey will become the first nation among 26 to have the F-16s in their inventories and have the ability to receive information on the F-16 fighters’ software source codes — primarily their weapons systems — thereby enabling it to replace them with national software source codes whenever necessary.

Once Turkey and the US complete around 50 pages of technical details over the nature of the US transfer of technology, an agreement should be signed, pending US congressional approval.

The US Congress has long prevented arms transfers to NATO member Turkey, mainly in reaction to its strained ties with Israel.

However, the US administration has as of late sought US congressional authorization for the sale of three AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters to Turkey. This indicates a softening on the part of the congress toward Turkey. Turkey has a long-standing request for Super Cobras. It has a shortage of these helicopters, required in its ongoing fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists, who have increased their violent attacks as of late.

Meanwhile, it is not clear whether the US administration will seek US congressional authorization for another long-standing Turkish request for the sale of four Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and two armed Reaper UAVs.

However, some of the weapons, including Predators that the US reportedly pledged to transfer to Turkey as it withdraws from Iraq in December of this year, are said to not be subject to the approval of the US Congress. These are weapons the US used during its war in Iraq.

Missile defense link

US sources stated that Washington has agreed in principle to transfer the information mainly concerning the weapon systems of the F-16s so that Turkey can integrate by itself the national software source codes because Turkey has pursued a very persistent policy on the matter. However, Turkey’s approval to deploy a radar system of the US-supported NATO Missile Defense System on its soil is understood to have played an important role in Washington’s agreement to in principle transfer the software source codes of mainly the weapons systems of the F-16s to Turkey. Turkey agreed last month to host a powerful US-supplied radar system to act as advanced eyes for a layered shield against ballistic missiles coming from outside Europe.

The AN/TPY-2 surveillance radar in Turkey will boost the shield’s capability against Iran, which Washington alleges is seeking to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.“By agreeing to transfer information on F-16 weapon systems so that Turkey could automatically integrate them with national software source codes, the US sought to ease tensions with its NATO ally, which is important in safeguarding US interests in the Middle East. The US also puts strong emphasis on seeing Turkish-Israeli relations normalize,” said the US source.

50 weapons systems on each F-16

Lockheed Martin this year began supplying Turkey with 14 F-16C variants and 16 F-16Ds under a deal signed in May 2007. The total cost of 30 additional F-16s to Turkey is $1.78 billion. Under a separate agreement signed in April 2005 between Turkey and the US, 213 Turkish F-16s are being upgraded at a cost of $1.1 billion at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in Ankara. Turkey will be able to change the software source codes of the weapons systems on a total of 204 F-16s with national software source codes if a final agreement is reached with the US. There are 50 different types of weapons systems on each F-16 that are classified.

Turkey to produce engines for tanks

Tank and warship engines are included in Turkey’s plans to nationalize its arms industry where possible. Planned Altay tanks are likely to test the engines.

Turkey will now manufacture engines for tanks and warships for the first time in the history of the nation’s defense industry, a top procurement official said. Undersecretary for Defense Industries Murad Bayar said the weakest component of the recently flourishing business was arguably engine-manufacturing, which the nation will now work to eliminate.

Bayar said domestically manufactured engines will be used in the serial production phase of Altay, Turkey’s first national main battle tank. Since 2007 Otokar, one of Turkey’s largest armored vehicle makers, has been designing the Altay with industrial support from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem. Under a nearly $500 million contract, four prototypes should be built by 2015, after which serial production is scheduled to begin.

The mock-up of Altay, projected to have a 120 mm gun, was introduced to the public in May at the 10th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul. “We are in touch with a number of companies that design engines but do not manufacture them,” Bayar said. “We hope to build the engines for the Altay in the serial production stage in the first batch of 250 tanks that will be manufactured domestically after 2015,” he said. “We need to obtain this engine-making capability.” Eventually Turkey plans to build up to 1,000 Altays.

Bayar said another option was to develop the tank’s engine jointly with South Korea.

“Then we need to make engines for our naval platforms, which have a good chance to be exported,” he said. Turkey has begun to produce up to 12 national corvettes, the smallest of major warships, in a program called Milgem that is worth up to $3 billion. The first corvette was delivered to the Navy this fall and a second was put to sea for tests.

Turkey has sold several of the smaller boats to countries in the Middle East and Asia. The country plans to make its own national frigate by 2020 with domestically manufactured engines. Frigates are the largest warships in the Turkish Navy.

“Ultimately, we need to make engines and related transmission systems for other land and naval platforms,” Bayar said. “Producing engines and power systems is not the most difficult thing to do in the defense industry,” said an Ankara-based defense analyst. “But to make sense, you have to make sure that manufacturing engines is economically feasible. Compared to Turkey’s capabilities in several other sectors in defense industry, Turkey already lags behind in the producing its own engines.”

Turkey is not yet looking at large-scale plans to manufacture its own aircraft engines. Its main engine maker Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) co-produces engines for aircraft under license of large foreign companies

Turkish Air Force

The Turkish Air Force is one of the oldest air forces in the world and operates one of the largest combat aircraft fleets of NATO. Supported by the TuAF's in-flight refueling capability, the fighter jets of the Turkish Air Force can participate in international operations and exercises on every major continent and return back to their home bases.

The Turkish Air Force has a vivid and honorable history. The Turkish military first encountered hostile military aircraft in 1911 when Italy invaded Libya, at that time part of the Ottoman Empire. Italian aircraft performed reconnaissance and bombing missions against the Ottoman Army. Ottoman forces, however, had the honor of being the first to force down a warplane and capture the pilot.

Earlier that year, the Turkish Minister of War directed establishment of an aircraft commission in Istanbul. The first airfield was near Istanbul and is now Ataturk International Airport. Two hangars were built, and training on and purchase of French, German and British aircraft began.

The fledgling TAF saw action in the Balkan War in September 1912 to October 1913, with only 17 aircraft, which primarily flew reconnaissance. In 1914, the first U.S. aircraft, a Curtiss seaplane, was sold to Turkey. Soon, however, Europe would be embroiled in the Great War. At the beginning of the war, Turkey had only five aircraft and six pilots. With the help of German and Austrian allies, the TAF expanded to 450 aircraft, many piloted by Germans.

At the war's end, Turkey had almost 100 pilots and 17 land-based and three seaplane companies of four aircraft each. During the conflict, Turkish and German pilots had considerable success, sinking several British ships in the Aegean and destroying numerous British, French and Russian aircraft. Following the Armistice, the Ottoman Empire was dismantled, and most of the Army, including the air forces, disarmed.

Western powers moved to occupy many of the regions of Anatolia. Mustafa Kemal, later known as Ataturk, rallied forces against the invaders. In 1919, at the beginning of the national struggle, the Turks had no aircraft. In March 1920, the TAF was reestablished when pilots and others met to assemble aircraft from smuggled parts. Soon there were 17 aircraft, a mixture of Albatros, Breguet, Fiat, De Havilland and Spad models, which made limited strikes and conducted reconnaissance.

When the War of Independence ended in 1922, the Air Force had grown to a group consisting of companies at Izmir, Afyon and Bandirma. In 1928, an Air Ministry was established with three battalions raised to regiment level in 1932, and brigade level in 1939. The three main bases were Eskisehir, Diyarbakir and Izmir.

Before World War II, an aircraft factory was built to build American Curtiss Hawk fighters and Turkey purchased Polish PZL and French Morane fighter planes. The Turks also acquired a number of bombers - German Heinkels, British Blenheims and American Martins and Vultees. Turkey remained neutral until the final days of World War II. As a result, the TAF obtained aircraft from axis and allied powers. They even acquired a few American B24 bombers interned after forced landings following the Ploesti raid of 1943.

Due to expansion, the Air Force became an independent service in 1944. After the war, Turkey purchased surplus Spitfires, Mosquitoes and Beaufighters before the United States became a major supplier of modern aircraft.

In 1946, after the "Truman Doctrine" was declared, the Joint American Mission for Aid to Turkey was established in Ankara. In 1948, Turkey received P-47, B-26 and C-47 aircraft with training, supply and maintenance systems. In 1951, Turkey entered the jet age with the F-84.

In the following year, Turkey joined NATO and the first female pilot in NATO was a Turk. Other American aircraft flown by the Turkish Air Force include the T-33, F-86, F-100, F-102, F-104, F-4, F-5, F-16, KC-135R and C-130. The TAF saw very limited action in the Cyprus police operation of 1964, but was extensively involved in the Cyprus operation of 1974. Since becoming a member of NATO, the TAF has undergone many changes. It's composed of the First Air Force at Eskisehir, the Second
Air Force at Diyarbakir, the Air Training Command headquartered at Izmir and the Air Logistics Command at Ankara.

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