Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Ber/zc'l'okll Çllpê-Rivista Stll1npa-Delltro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
Professor Dursun Ali Ercan, a fonner retired officer who two months ago was appointed the new undersecretary of the
Defense Industries claimed that there have been inaccurate news stories and speculations on both attack the helicopter project
and on Turkey's anns spending. He denied that Turkey has been involved in efforts to ann itself. "It is true that Turkey is
faced with the problem of strengthening its economy. But the regional atmosphere obliges Turkey to ensure its security. We
have been observing to what extent countries in the region are taking seriously Ataturk's famous call for "Peace at home,
peace in the world," Ercan said. Recalling that Turkey was not an island in the Pacific Ocean, Erean said that the existence of
states in the region which give support to international terrorism forces the Turkish Anned Forces (TSK) to be on the alert
all the time. Turkey has not been involved in anning itself but has been seeking to bridge the gap with its neighbors, said
Ercan.
According to the statistics given by Ercan Greece spends $43 to
ann an area of I square kilometer, whereas Turkey spends only
$10. Among Turkey's neighbors only Georgia and Bulgaria
allocate less than Turkey to defense spending within gross
national product (GNP), the SSM undersecretary recalled. He
also added that the share of Turkey's military spending within
GNP is 4 percent whereas Greece's ratio is about 4.7 percent
compared to its small population and size. In a surprise statement
the SSM undersecretary described that the $150 billion allocated
for the modernization and defense procurement of the TSK over
the next 30 years was not realistic when it was realized that the
major part of this does not go on arms supplies. Taking written
questions after his presentation the SSM undersecretary fell short
of clarifying this statement which contradicted with the General
Staff announcement made in 1997.
Then the General Staff announced that $150 billion was required for the TSK in the coming 30 years. Ercan went on to say
that the economic successes of the fonner Soviet Union was purely based on its military power. He said: "In Turkey we do
not follow such a defense concept. The 21st century is one during which the lands and oceans which were shared out among
the nations in the 19th century should be preserved. This requires a much deeper chess game. And we have to win this chess
game," he said.
Following Ercan's statement a presentation on Turkey's security environment, details on the TSK's operational
requirements as well as methods pursued on the attack helicopter project were explained by retired general CelaI Gurkan,
who is responsible for the project at SSM. European countries such as Great Britain, Gennany, France, Italy, Holland and
Spain have been increasing the number of attack helicopters in their inventories, despite the fact that they have been
downsizing their anned forces, recalled Gurkan. Greece has increased its attack helicopter inventory, doubling its ceiling set
under the Conventional Forces Treaty in Europe (CFE) and has been continuing its purchases, Gurkan said. Despite its size,
big population, critical geography and international responsibilities, Turkey's spending on anns constituted 8.8 percent of its
total budget, whereas other countries in the region spent lata 25 percent on defense, he stressed. He also recalled that
Turkey's defense spending had decreased in the past 15 years.
Giving a detailed account of the process that the TSK has been pursuing on attack helicopter project since it was launched in
1996 Gurkan announced that the final selection of a winner in the attack helicopter project will be made at the end of June
when the SSM executive board meets. From March 6, after which three companies were shortlisted while the other two
were eliminated, until June the responses to be given by the shortlisted companies on further technical specifications will be
evaluated. Once a bidder is selected in late June contract negotiations with the winner willlast about three months. The first
phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year and the first delivery of attack helicopter" will take
place in mid-2003. An earlier date for first delivery was scheduled for November 2002. The whole project, involving the
co-production of 145 helicopters is scheduled to be completed in the year 2011. Over questions on the elimination of U.S.
company Boeing competing with Apache, and Eurocopter (A French-Gennan consortium) with Tiger, Gurkan said that
SSM had made a detailed analysis of technical perfonnance and cost effectiveness, among other things. It was seen that
those companies eliminated had failed to meet those criteria, he added.
U.S. Bell Helicopter-Textron (AH-IZ King Cobra), Italy's Agusta (A 129-1), as well as Russia's Kamov, competing jointly
with Israel's lAI (KA-50/52- Erdogan) are shortlisted. Under the first phase 50 helicopters including two prototypes will be
co-produced at an estimated $2,5 billion. The remaining helicopters will be co-produced under two batches of 50 and 45
each. According to military sources Turkey has also abandoned its earlier plan of leasing 10 helicopters from the successful
company f.orurgent requirements. SSM has also decided to ask the competing companies to come up with the costs for the
remaining 90 helicopters in order to decrease the cost of the first 50 attack helicopters. The contract with the winning
company will be made for 50 helicopters. But in order to prevent an increase in the cost of the remaining 90 helicopters in
the future SSM asked the three shortlisted companies to come up with a cost for the rest of the attack helicopters.
Turkey seeks among other things to obtain a national software source code, third country sale as well as to gain system
integration with the co-production of the attack helicopters. Over U.S. linkage between Turkey's human rights situation and
the export license guarantee, Gurkan recalled that all the shortlisted companies had provided Turkey with goodwillietters
and that in the future there would not be any problem on export licenses.
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