RMK Marine selected for Turkish Navy's Milgem programme

he Turkish Navy has selected RMK Marine to negotiate its plan for the construction of six follow-on Milgem-class corvettes under the Turkish national warship programme, Ministry of Defence's Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) has announced.

RMK Marine has been selected for the construction phase of the Milgem corvette programme, reported Janes.com.

The Turkish national warship programme aims to build eight corvettes and four frigates worth $3bn, with anti-submarine warfare and high-seas patrol capabilities.

Featuring stealth technologies, the new Milgem-class multimission corvettes can be used to perform a range of missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, target identification, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare and amphibious operations.

SSM Undersecretary Murad Bayar listed Milgem as Turkey's 'highest- priority (naval) programme' with advanced ASW capability.
The first two ships of the class, TCG Heybeliada (F-511) and TCG Büyükada (F-512), were built at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command.


Armed with 76mm dual-purpose gun and two remotely controlled 12.7mm machine guns, the Milgem-class corvettes features an aft flight deck to allow S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter missions, as well as aircraft ship-integrated secure and traverse (ASIST) helicopter handling and tracking system.

Countermeasure systems also equipped on the boats include Degaussing (DG), early warning (EW) radar, ASW jammers and Sea Sentor surface ship torpedo defence (SSTD).
The 99m-long Milgem-class corvettes have a displacement capacity of 2,000t, a beam of 14.4m and a design draft of 3.6m.

Capable of accommodating a crew of 93 crew including air crew, the frigates are integrated with eight Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles and a single Mk31 RAM self-defence missile weapon system.

Turkey Orders Nearly 10 Dozen Sidewinder Missiles

The up-arming of NATO ally Turkey continues. In recent weeks, the country, which shares a border with war-wracked Syria, has requested deployment  of multiple batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles from Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S., to protect its southern border. Now it appears to be buying more weapons directly from the U.S. to further beef up its armed forces.
On Monday, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that it has notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the government of Turkey. If approved by Congress, Raytheon (NYSE: RTN  ) will sell the Turkish armed forces some 117 advanced AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, along with related training and launching equipment. In total, the value of this arms deal is $140 million.

In a statement on the proposed sale, DSCA noted that the Turkish Air Force is modernizing its fighter aircraft to bolster its air defenses. Turkey's air force includes several squadrons of Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT  ) -built F-16 fighter jets , which are capable of carrying the new missile.

Turkey Plans To Build up to 8 Frigates

Turkey plans to build four frigates with assistance from foreign shipyards and likely will fund an additional four for a total cost of about $7 billion, after the current production of eight corvettes is completed between 2015 and 2020, a senior procurement official said.
The official said the frigates would be built in private shipyards but will include the contribution of foreign bidders, as the program is too complex for local companies.
The Undersecretariat for Defense Industries has said air defense frigates are needed to defend against weapons fired by aircraft and other platforms, and to provide command and control, early warning, reconnaissance, surface warfare, underwater warfare, electronic warfare and air defense warfare.
The procurement official said that Lockheed Martin, BAe Systems and Navantia were ready to participate in the program, due to be finished in 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic.
The frigates, known as the TF2000, are supposed to be able to cruise at 18 knots with a maximum speed of 28 knots.
Turkish firm Aselsan will develop a multipurpose radar to counter the air threats, but the program lacks armament such as the U.S. Standard Missile 2, which Turkish officials are seeking to obtain.
The TF2000, as could be understood from its obsolete name, actually was designed in the 1990s, but could not be finalized at the time due to a series of financial crises.

The procurement official said this should be the last Navy program that will require foreign participation.

4 Frigates on Line for Turkish Navy

Turkey has chosen an ambitious project to follow the building of eight corvettes: this time the production of four fair defense frigates worth around $4 billion dollars, the largest ships in the inventory of the country’s Navy.

A statement on the website of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) on Nov. 22 cited the need to procure air defense frigates for the Navy that would provide defense against the classical and modern munitions fired by aircraft and other platforms, command and control, early warning, reconnaissance, surface warfare, underwater warfare and electronic warfare and air defense warfare.
It said the feasibility studies of the frigates had been completed and a “project model” would now be devised for the frigates to be procured. The model is expected to be a manufacture model by a private naval shipyard, but the complexity of the frigate would probably need the contributions of a foreign company.

The TF2000 project, as the name implies, was designed before 2000, but was delayed due to financial limitations at the time. Procurement officials now say that especially after the completion of the Milgem project - the first naval project for the building of eight corvettes - the time is ripe for the design of the first Turkish frigate.

Corvettes are the smallest of warships, and Turkey, which does not have coasts on oceans, has plenty of corvettes and frigates, but no larger warships, like destroyers or cruisers.


When Turkey’s top decision-making body on arms procurement meets later this year it should select between the companies RMK and Dearsan to build the third through the eighth of the country’s multibillion dollar program to build eight new corvettes, believed to cost $1.5 billion.

“The Milgem has been very useful from the point of design, development and construction of a national ship, and we are going to build on this experience to obtain the capability to build bigger warships,” one procurement official said.

The first and the second ships under Turkey’s Milgem program have already been built by military shipyards and the rest of the ships will be constructed by a private shipyard. The TCG Heybeliada, the first of the Milgem ships, has entered service in the Navy and the TSC Buyukada, the second, has been put to sea.

“We can produce 70 or 80 percent of all the needs of the Navy. The sole exceptions are submarines and engines, and we are moving with concrete steps on that,” the procurement official said.
Turkey presently can also produce a New Type Patrol Boat, Coast Guard Research and Rescue Boat and Tank Landing Ships, the procurement official said.

Separately, a 2 billion-euro submarine deal between SSM and Germany’s HDW shipyards for joint manufacture of six modern U-214 diesel platforms for the Turkish Navy formally took effect in July 2010. “This will be the last submarine we will be building with someone else,” the procurement official said.
In a less orthodox project, Ankara has plans to a buy a landing platform dock, or LPD, a vessel that looks like a helicopter carrier and can transport up to a battalion-sized unit (more than 1,000 troops) long distances. Turkey plans to use this ship for NATO-related missions to carry troops or refugees.
According to its size and capabilities, the Turkish LPD will cost between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. Presently, the Turkish Navy has nearly 49,000 personnel and 75 aircraft, 17 frigates, seven corvettes, 14 submarines and 27 fast missile boats.

Turkey Swaps Gold For Iranian Gas

Loophole in Western Sanctions Allows Iran to Buy Gold in Turkey With Turkish Payments for Gas Imported From Iran

Turkey on Friday acknowledged that a surge in its gold exports this year is related to payments for imports of Iranian natural gas, shedding light on Ankara's role in breaching U.S.-led sanctions against Tehran.
The continuing trade deal offers the most striking example of how Iran is using creative ways to sidestep Western sanctions over its disputed nuclear program, which have largely frozen it out of the global banking system.
The disclosure was made by Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister and top economic policy maker Ali Babacan in answers to questions from the parliamentary budget committee.
Iran provides 18% of Turkey's natural gas and 51% of its oil. But since U.S. and European Union sanctions ban Tehran from receiving payments in dollars or euros, Ankara pays Iran for the gas in Turkish liras. The lira is of limited value for buying goods on international markets but ideal for purchasing Turkish gold. The government hasn't specified how it pays for Iranian oil.
"In essence, gold exports [to Iran] end up like payments for our natural gas purchases," Mr. Babacan said. "Turkey is depositing the payment for the gas we purchase from Iran to Iran's account in Turkey…I don't know exactly how they then transfer it," he said.
The identity of the final destination of the gold in Iran isn't known, but the scale of the operation and its dramatic expansion suggest the Iranian government plays a key role, analysts say.
In Turkey, state-run lender Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS has been responsible for processing the payments, since the U.S. adopted a measure in January to stop dealing with financial institutions working with Iran's central bank, freezing out private Turkish banks from facilitating payments. Halkbank raised 4.5 billion liras ($2.5 billion) Monday in Turkey's biggest offering in a secondary share sale-a 20.8% stake, according to a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange.
Mr. Babacan's remarks Friday helped clarify an aspect of Turkish trade policy that has been a source of speculation since unusually high exports to Iran first appeared in March, the month Iran was cut off from the Swift global payments network, effectively blocking the country from performing international financial transactions.
Tehran has sought alternative means of payment for energy exports—its main foreign currency earner and economic lifeblood—including renminbi and rupees, as well as gold, in an attempt to skirt international sanctions and pay for its soaring food costs.
Analysts cautioned that although the trade with Iran wasn't illegal, Ankara wanted to keep details out of the public eye for fear of raising the ire of Washington, which is leading the international push against Tehran for its alleged push to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes including medical treatments.
Turkey sold $6.4 billion of gold to Iran in the first nine months of this year, up from just $54 million in 2011, according to official data, tripling Ankara's exports to its eastern neighbor and almost evening the trade balance that historically has been dramatically in Tehran's favor. Iran accounts for 60% of Turkey's gold exports this year, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 30% of the total.
Those transactions also helped cut a gaping Turkish current-account deficit to 7% of gross domestic product in September from an unsustainable 10% at the end of last year and improved Turkey's short-term external financing needs—a key development that this month that enabled Ankara to secure its first investment-grade credit rating in almost two decades.
The glittering bilateral gold trade has supplemented a strong trading relationship. Despite tightening sanctions, Turkey's total trade with Iran rose 50% to a record $16 billion in 2011. The countries have already surpassed that peak with $18.8 billion in almost evenly split exports and imports in the first nine months of this year.
Although Turkish gold sales to Iran spiked parallel to U.S. and European Union sanctions, August and September saw bullion exports shrink amid a jump in sales to the United Arab Emirates, leading to speculation that the gold is now traveling to Iran through the U.A.E.
"Historically, Turkey is a gold importer due to demand from the jewelry industry, albeit it seems that current gold exports are related to demand from the U.A.E. and on to Iran. There has been concern that these sales somewhat reflect illicit trade with Iran," said Tim Ash, head of emerging markets research at Standard Bank PLC in London.
Traders in Istanbul's famed Grand Bazaar, which still plays host to a significant percentage of Turkey's gold trade, have speculated for months that Iran's government had been behind the bullion buying spree, since there was no discernible increase in the amount being purchased by traditional Iranian customers or tourists.
The government has denied direct links between the role of rising gold sales in buying energy, with Energy Minister Taner Yildiz saying in July that Turkish importers were paying for gas and oil in dollars and liras as per their purchasing agreements.
"This is a statement of what until now has seemed obvious, but was officially kept under wraps," said Robert O'Daly, a Turkey analyst at Economist Intelligence Unit in London. "As long as Turkey is importing gas from Iran, the gold exports will continue to be substantial."
While ties between Tehran and Ankara have become increasingly complicated in the past two years, as the Arab uprisings have polarized foreign policy aims, the neighbors have enough mutual interest to maintain a healthy trading relationship. The countries split most recently over the Syrian conflict, where Iran supports President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs rebels seeking to oust the regime in Damascus.

TAI to sell Anka UAVs to Egypt

Egypt has agreed to purchase 10 Anka unmanned air vehicles made by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
The Anka development was accelerated after Turkey cut all defence relations with Israel as a result of an Israeli navy confrontation with a "peace flotilla" that sailed from Turkey for the Gaza Strip in 2010.

Turkey's air force has purchased and still operates Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1s, but the nation's army recently announced its intention to cancel a further planned procurement of Aeronautics Defense Systems Aerostar tactical reconnaissance systems.
TAI says the developmental Anka can carry a payload of 250kg (550lb) for 24h. Maximum take-off weight is 1,500kg. The company earlier this year said it was in talks with the Turkish military over a planned 10-aircraft launch order, with deliveries expected to begin within two years of a contract signature.


Israeli sources say the proposed new deal is intended to project the close ties between Turkey and the new regime in Egypt, and not just to meet the latter's operational needs.
Cairo is also reportedly trying to acquire General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator UAVs from the USA, but Washington has been hesitant to approve such a deal until the situation in post-Arab Spring Egypt becomes clearer.

Turkey Unveils New Main Battle Tank

This is from the tank’s builder Otokar:

The first prototypes of Turkey’s first main battle tank ALTAY which is designed and developed by Otokar, the biggest privately owned company of the Turkish Defence Industry, was presented at Otokar facilities in Sakarya on November 15th.

Attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the ceremony was hosted by Mustafa V. Koc, Chairman of Koc Holding. General Necdet Ozel, Chief of General Staff; İsmet Yilmaz, Minister of Defence; General Hayri Kivrikoglu, Commander of the Turkish Land Forces; Murad Bayar, Defence Industry Undersecretary; Kudret Onen, Head of Koc Holding Defence Industry Group and Chairman of the Board of Otokar; Halil Unver, Vice Chairman of Otokar and Serdar Gorguc, Otokar General Manager attended the ceremony.

The first prototypes of ALTAY reflect the results of the concept development and critical design process of the project which started in 2009. The first prototype is planned to be used for the testing and optimization of ALTAY’s mobility. The second prototype will be used in order to test the firing performance of ALTAY. Two more prototypes are planned to be manufactured following the evaluation of the data gathered from first two prototypes. The ALTAY tank will be ready for mass production by 2015.

The first ALTAY prototype had already covered more than 2.000 kilometers during tests up to now. Two prototypes exhibited a special show to the guests of the ceremony at the tank test track of Otokar. Including mobility performance like acceleration, maximum speed, side slope, suspension, stabilization track and off-road drive, this show made the impression that, when finished, ALTAY would be the most modern tank in the world.

Kudret ONEN, Head of Koc Holding Defence Industry Group and Chairman of the Board of Otokar, shared the pleasure of introducing the first prototype of ALTAY to public. After reminding about the initial stages of the Project, ONEN also spoke of the future activities of ALTAY. “550 engineers are working in order to complete the Project, 260 of which are Otokar employees. Together with the ALTAY team, and nearly 100 subcontractors, we aim to make the best of our time and prepare ALTAY for mass production by 2015.”

ONEN continued: “Today armoured tactical vehicles of Otokar are exported to almost 20 countries. With more than 25.000 vehicles used by the armies in the world, we represent our engineering and production capability. Up to now, we accomplished all our projects in time and perfectly, and we tried to fulfil all our commitments successfully.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mustafa V. KOC, Chairman of the Board of Koc Holding, expressed his satisfaction with the current situation of the National Tank Project which has a significant importance for the national defence industry strategy of Turkey. KOC stated that ALTAY had been a prestige Project not only for our country but also for Koc Group, and said: “ALTAY will provide great acceleration to land platform area of our country’s defence industry in terms of design, development and manufacturing not only with its existing power but also with its investments, developing labour force and technical know-how. With its power to withstand possible threats of today and the future, ALTAY will further enhance the strength of our armed forces as the most modern battle tank in the world. With stable management, growing economy and strong army, our country will reinforce its power and leadership within the region, and Turkey will take its place among the special main battle tank manufacturers of the world.

The Altay Main Battle Tank

The design of ALTAY has been realized in order to fulfil all kinds of operational requirements derived from the technical and tactical demands of the Turkish Armed Forces.

In this scope, ALTAY has been equipped with the latest technologies that are used in the modern tanks. With its superior fire power and hit rate, high mobility and survivability features, it’s anticipated that ALTAY will be one of the fundamental and deterrent assets of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Intellectual Property Rights Belong to Turkey

Developed by its prime contractor Otokar, and designed in line with Turkish Army’s requirements; ALTAY will cater for exact requirements of the Turkish Army. Turkish Republic will own all design and intellectual property rights of ALTAY. The Technical Data Package of ALTAY that includes all information and documents related to the design, development, integration, testing and manufacturing will be in the basis of the mass production of the tank, and all its rights will belong to the Turkish Republic.

ALTAY’s crew consists of four personnel as a tank commander, gunner, driver and loader. In order to provide the tank with the intended performance in rough terrains, it’s equipped with a 1,500 horsepower high-tech engine and transmission. The main armament of ALTAY is a 120 mm, 55-calibre smoothbore gun suitable for various kinds of rounds.

A new-generation fire control system has been specially designed for ALTAY in order to control the main and secondary armaments. By means of this system, ALTAY is also able to shoot moving targets with a very high first round hit probability. Besides, ALTAY tank is equipped with modular composite armor in order to protect the tank against all kinds of threats, and subsystems that enable the crew to proceed in environments that are under Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear (CBRN) threats.

When evaluated under the topics of Survivability, Fire Power, Mobility, Command Control and Communication, Integrated Logistic Support and Ergonomics, ALTAY becomes prominent as an optimized tank that is compatible to mission, threat and environment conditions, meeting the requirements of the user at maximum level, with a flexibility enabling its use in all kinds of battle environments with its additional features adaptable to various missions.

Technical specifications of ALTAY

• Four men crew
• New generation 1500 HP powerpack
• 120 mm, 55-calibre main armament
• Remote control weapon system (12.7 and 7.62 mm)
• Coaxial machine gun
• Modular composite armour
• New generation fire control system
• Electrical gun turret drive system
• C3I system
• Battlefield target identification system
• Laser warning system
• Life support system
• CBRN protection
• Auxiliary power unit
• Fire-extinguishing and explosion suppression system
• 360 degrees situational awareness system

Where does the name Altay come from?

ALTAY Main Battle Tank is named after Turkish General Fahrettin ALTAY, the commander of the V. Cavalry Corps who achieved great success during the Turkish War of Independence between 1919 and 1922.

BACKGROUND: History of the Altay Project

– 2005: The Undersecretariat of Defence Industries assigned a consortium consisting of three companies to realize the feasibility study in order to determine the production model of the Battle Tank Project. As of April 27th 2005 the feasibility study was finalized, and the model of the project was determined as “the main battle tank to be designed and developed within the country and with technical support from abroad in required areas”.

– On February 8th 2005, the Request for Proposal prepared according to the model determined due to the feasibility was delivered to the companies, including Otokar that participated in the feasibility study.

– 2007: Due to the decision taken at the meeting of the Defence Industry Executive Committee realized on March 30th 2007, for the Modern Tank Manufacturing with National Facilities Project initiated in order to meet the Modern Main Battle Tank requirement of the Land Forces Command, it was decided to start contract negotiations with Otokar as the prime contractor candidate.

– July 29th 2008: Following the finalization of the contract negotiations about the design of Turkey’s first National Tank, development of prototypes, testing and qualification of prototypes, the contract was signed with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It was aimed to use domestic sub-systems to maximum extend for the project except the areas determined due to the model.

In addition to Otokar being assigned as the prime contractor for the Project, Aselsan was assigned to design and manufacture the prototypes of electronic sub-systems like Tank Fire Control System and Tank C3I System; MKE was assigned to manufacture the 120 mm 55 calibre Main Armament by technology transfer from Hyundai Rotem of South Korea; and Roketsan was assigned to develop the Modular Armour Package by technology transfer also through Hyundai Rotem.

– January 2009: After signing contracts with the main sub-system suppliers, Project kick-off was made for the “design, development, manufacturing, testing and qualification of ALTAY prototypes”. The Project duration for the “Design and Prototype Production” of ALTAY was determined as 78.5 months. This part of the Project was arranged in three stages consisting of Conceptual Design, Detailed Design, and Prototype Production and Qualification.

– May 2011: Otokar finalized the Conceptual Design Stage, as the first stage of the Project by using its engineering and design capabilities in line with the requirements, and exhibited a full-scale model of ALTAY that reflected the results of this stage at the IDEF Defence Industry Fair with the participation of President Abdullah GUL.

– March 29th 2012: While detailed design activities proceeded, Otokar continued investing in the required production facilities for the testing of prototypes and in the Tank Test Center. Otokar Tank Test Center was taken into service on March 29th with the participation of İsmet YILMAZ, Minister of Defence. Consisting of an EMC Test Chamber, Tank Test Range and Climatic Chamber with Dynamometer, Otokar Tank Test Center is among the world’s most modern and advanced test centers.

– October 2012: The first prototype to test the mobility was manufactured in Otokar facilities in Sakarya, and testing started.

– November 15th 2012: ALTAY’s first two prototypes exhibited their mobility for the first time to public with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN. Following the two prototypes that are tested for development/verification, the ultimate configuration prototypes will be manufactured and after finalizing their qualification by tests they will be delivered to the Undersecretariat of Defence Industries.

– Mass production:
Following the design and prototype production phase of ALTAY conducted by Otokar as the prime contractor, mass production activities will be initiated in scope of a new contract.

As the biggest privately owned defence company of Turkey, and leading land vehicles manufacturer of the Turkish defence industry, Otokar presents special solutions for the requirements of users with its own technology, design and applications. It also designs and manufactures various kinds of tactical wheeled armoured vehicles and off-road vehicles for the defence industry.

With a turnover of 520 million USD (year: 2011) and 2.000 employees, Otokar realizes its production in its 552.000 square meters plant in Sakarya Arifiye. Otokar recently signed a MoU for manufacturing Otokar COBRA vehicles in Kazakhstan for the requirements of the Kazakhstan Armed Forces.

Turkey’s Main Battle Tank ALTAY is to be Turkey’s Pride

The first prototypes of Turkey's first national main battle tank ALTAY which is designed and developed by OTOKAR has been introduced. Realized with an investment of about 500 million USD, the ALTAY Project is planned for mass production in 2015.

The first prototypes of Turkey's first main battle tank ALTAY which is designed and developed by OTOKAR, the biggest privately owned company of the Turkish Defence Industry, has been presented at OTOKAR facilities in Sakarya on November 15th.

Held with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN, the "ALTAY FIRST PROTOTYPE" ceremony was hosted by Mustafa V. Koc, Chairman of Koc Holding. General Necdet OZEL, Chief of General Staff; Ismet YILMAZ, Minister of Defence; General Hayri KIVRIKOGLU, Commander of the Turkish Land Forces; Murad BAYAR, Defence Industry Undersecretary; Kudret ONEN, Head of Koc Holding Defence Industry Group and Chairman of the Board of OTOKAR; Halil UNVER, Vice Chairman of OTOKAR and Serdar GORGUC, OTOKAR General Manager attended the ceremony.

The first prototypes of ALTAY reflect the results of the concept development and critical design process of the Project which started in 2009. The first prototype is planned to be used for the testing and optimization of ALTAY's mobility.

The second prototype will be used in order to test the firing performance of ALTAY. Two more prototypes are planned to be manufactured following the evaluation of the data gathered from first two prototypes. The ALTAY tank will be ready for mass production by 2015.

The first ALTAY prototype had already covered more than 2.000 kilometers during tests up to now. Two prototypes exhibited a special show to the guests of the ceremony at the tank test track of OTOKAR. Including mobility performance like acceleration, maximum speed, side slope, suspension, stabilization track and off-road drive, this show made the impression that, when finished, ALTAY would be the most modern tank in the world.

Kudret ONEN, Head of Koc Holding Defence Industry Group and Chairman of the Board of OTOKAR shared the pleasure of introducing the first prototype of ALTAY to public. After reminding about the initial stages of the Project, ONEN also informed about the future activities of ALTAY.

"550 engineers are working in order to complete the Project, 260 of which are OTOKAR employees. Together with the ALTAY team, and nearly 100 subcontractors, we aim to make the best of our time and prepare ALTAY for mass production by 2015."

Announcing that the mobility performance of OTOKAR's first two prototypes would be demonstrated during the ceremony, ONEN continued as follows: "Today armoured tactical vehicles of OTOKAR are exported to almost 20 countries. With more than 25.000 vehicles used by the armies in the world, we represent our engineering and production capability.

"Up to now, we accomplished all our projects in time and perfectly, and we tried to fulfil all our commitments successfully. As an example of this, I'd like to announce you that today we'll show you the two prototypes of ALTAY. With the first prototype that you'll see today, we'll test the mobility of ALTAY. This first prototype already covered more than 2.000 kilometers, and first results prove that we're doing right. And with the second prototype we will perform firing tests of ALTAY.

"We also aim to make this prototype ready for the firing tests during the following months. By using the results that we gather from these two prototypes, we'll manufacture the ultimate prototypes, test them, and bring ALTAY to perfection as the most modern and capable tank in the world."

Speaking at the ceremony, Mustafa V. KOC, Chairman of the Board of Koc Holding, expressed his gladness about the current situation of the National Tank Project which has a significant importance for the national defence industry strategy of Turkey.

KOC stated the fact that ALTAY had been a prestige Project not only for our country but also for Koc Group, and continued as follows: "ALTAY will provide great acceleration to land platform area of our country's defence industry in terms of design, development and manufacturing not only with its existing power but also with its investments, developing labour force and technical know-how. With its power to withstand possible threats of today and the future,

"ALTAY will further enhance the strength of our armed forces as the most modern battle tank in the world. With stable management, growing economy and strong army, our country will reinforce its power and leadership within the region, and Turkey will take its place among the special main battle tank manufacturers of the world. Moreover, our country will continuously progress with products developed by its own resources and capabilities, and created with its own technology.

"Until today we realized many achievements in the defence industry area by means of long term approaches, a properly defined vision and leadership. As Koc Group, we have been endeavouring, investing and realizing achievements in the defence industry in order to serve these goals and strategies.

"We believe that our defence industry will further develop in the future through encouraging specialization, and by having and controlling technology."

At the end of the ceremony, Mustafa V. KOC, Chairman of the Board of Koc Holding presented an ALTAY tank model to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN as a memory of the day.

Turkey begins UAV production

Turkey will begin producing indigenous Anka unmanned aerial vehicles next year.

Turkish Defense Industry Ministry spokesman Murad Bayar announced the incipient production, stating that the Turkish army will begin receiving the Anka UAVs in late 2013.

The Anka UAVs are produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc., a Turkish state-owned aviation and aerospace industry company.

Besides the Anka UAVs, TAI also produces F-16 Fighting Falcon jets under license, CN-235 light transport/maritime patrol/surveillance aircraft, SF-260 trainers, Cougar AS-532 search and rescue, combat search and rescue and utility helicopters, Anadolu Ajansi news agency reported.

Since 2004 Turkey has been developing a reconnaissance UAV, with about 180 TAI engineers involved in the project.

Another Turkish UAV project is the Simsek -- "Lightning."

Earlier this month, the Turkish military decided to return three tactical Aerostar UAVs, built by the Israeli company Aeronautics Defense Systems, to Israel alleging substandard performance in the military's campaign against Kurdistan Workers Party insurgents.

Germany sends its military to the border of Turkey and Syria

Turkey intends to ask the NATO command to deploy the system Patriot air defense on its border with Syria.If approved by NATO, Germany will send its military to perform maintenance on Saturday said the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

According to the newspaper, Berlin plans to send about 170 people in Turkey. Official confirmation of this information has not been obtained. The German Foreign Ministry declined to comment, and the Ministry of Defence said that if NATO

request to send troops to the Turkish-Syrian border, Berlin would consider this request in accordance with the commitments alliance.

Turkey to Return 3 Israeli Aerostar Drones

Turkey plans to return three tactical drones to Israel, allegedly due to "poor performance."

Turkey is planning to return to Israel three tactical drones, allegedly due to "poor performance," reports the military periodical Defense News.
The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), built by the Aeronautics firm, are called Aerostars and are tactical aircraft purchased by Turkey for $30 million in 2007.
UAVs are used mainly for reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence purposes, although occasionally upgraded drones have been used for offensive purposes as well.
According to the report, the Aerostars were purchased to fill a gap between short-range UAVs and 10 Israeli Herons that were delivered to Turkey in 2010, all of which were MALE (medium altitude, long-endurance) UAVs. They are being returned by the Turkish military allegedly due to poor performance against the PKK Kurdistan Workers' Party terrorist organization, but no details were provided.

The report quoted Ankara-based Israeli diplomat Nizar Amir as saying Israeli officials in Turkey had “not been informed by Turkish authorities” about the issue.”
Relations between Turkey and Israel continue to be on edge following a clash in 2010 between armed terror activists and IDF commandos aboard a Turkish-owned flotilla vessel that tried to breach Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza. Eight Turkish nationals and one American were killed in the clash after the terror activists attacked IDF soldiers as they boarded to redirect the vessel to Ashdod port. Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador over the incident and relations have deteriorated since.

Turkish Army inducts missile with 200-km range

Turkey completes development of missile with range of 200 kilometers.

Turkey has successfully completed development of a ground-to-ground missile with a range of 200 kilometers that has now entered the Army inventory, said Nihat Ergun, the country’s science, industry and technology minister.
“Tubitak [Turkish scientific research organization)] has completed the 200-kilometer stand-off munitions [testing], and the system has entered the inventory of the Army,” Ergun told reporters.
“Now, the next target is 500 kilometers,” he said. “We have the technology to develop this missile. It finds the target making use of the GPS technology and ground maps.”
Tubitak officials said earlier this year that the country’s High Board of Technology was developing capabilities in this area following a request from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In addition to hosting a NATO radar to detect an
early launch of long-range missiles by a rogue state, Turkey seems committed to boosting its local missile-related industry.

Navy, MIT join forces for new intelligence vessel

Turkey’s navy and national intelligence organization MIT have agreed to jointly procure a high-tech ship for collecting electronic intelligence from newly arising regional threats in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, or SSM, has been tasked for launching a local tender for the construction of the new ship using Turkey’s indigenous capabilities to their fullest extent.

“Turkey has earmarked $120 million for the construction effort of Turkey’s first large scale intelligence ship.” a TR Defence source familiar with the programs of the Turkish Navy reported on Friday. “This will be a dedicated SIGINT/ELINT ship that will bear a number of advanced electronic capabilities, but will lack heavy weapons.”

Several countries currently use similar electronic intelligence ships for spying on the military transmissions of target states, finding and exploiting secret radar installations, eavesdropping on and decrypting sensitive information as well as actively jamming compromised enemy communications during war time. The ship is said to be used in conjunction with Turkey’s new Gokturk series of surveillance satellites planned for launch in 2013 and 2014.

Project will be managed by SSM and follow the successful footsteps of the Milgem program. Once complete in 2015, the ship will join Turkish Navy inventory but will be partially operated by MIT in line with Turkey’s widely varying intelligence gathering needs.

It is also expected to actively participate in NATO missions and exercises around the world.

Turkey Leads US-Sponsored Military Encirclement Of Syria

Despite widely reported concerns of blowback in Syria due to the arming of jihadist groups, a military build-up on Syria’s borders is proceeding apace.

Racep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist government in Turkey is leading the way, using the pretext of stray mortar fire from Syria that killed five civilians to legitimise the deployment of 250 tanks, jets, helicopter gunships, troops, artillery emplacements and antiaircraft batteries on the border.

The Turkish Parliament recently granted war powers to Erdogan to send troops into Syria. Daily targeting of Syrian facilities was followed last week by the use of F16s to force down a civilian Syrian Airlines Airbus en route to Damascus from Moscow, with claims that it was carrying Russian weaponry.

Erdogan used the United Nations Security Council as a platform to attack Russia and China—“one or two members of the permanent five”—for vetoing anti-Syrian resolutions and demand an overhaul of the Security Council.

Turkey, along with the Gulf States led by Qatar, is also behind a push to unite Syria’s divided opposition forces, with the explicit aim of overcoming the qualms of the Western powers over arming the opposition and backing it militarily. There is an agreement to announce a joint leadership on November 4 at a conference in Qatar, just two days before the US presidential elections.

Foreign supporters “are telling us: ‘Sort yourselves out and unite, we need a clear and credible side to provide it with quality weapons,’” a source said.

Ensuring an effective command structure under the nominal discipline of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the actual control of Turkey and its allies requires the inclusion of rival military leaders Riad al-Asaad, Mustafa Sheikh and Mohammad Haj Ali (all defectors from the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad), as well as various leaders of provincial military councils inside Syria. Funds are also being funneled into the Local Coordinating Committees—hitherto held up by various ex-left groups around the world as being independent of the imperialist powers.

UN Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi is making great play of urging Iran to arrange a four-day cease-fire beginning October 25 to mark the Muslim religious holiday of Eid al-Adha. He is saying less about a proposal, more indicative of the UN’s role, to dispatch a 3,000-strong troop force to Syria.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Brahimi “has spent recent weeks quietly sounding out which countries would be willing to contribute soldiers” to such a force, ostensibly to be made operable following a future truce.

The direct involvement of US and British forces would be “unlikely”, given their role in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, so Brahimi “is thought to be looking at more nations that currently contribute to Unifil, the 15,000-strong mission set up to police Israel’s borders with Lebanon.”

These include Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Ireland—“one of which would be expected to play a leading role in the Syria peacekeeping force.”

The proposal was leaked by the Syrian National Council (SNC), with whom Brahami met in Turkey at the weekend. On Monday, the SNC was meeting for a two-day summit in the Qatari capital, Doha. Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, took the occasion to push for military intervention in Syria. He told reporters, “Any mission that is not well armed will not fulfil its aim. For this, it must have enough members and equipment to carry out its duty.”

The SNC’s 35-member general secretariat was meeting in Doha to discuss “the establishment of mechanisms to administer the areas which have been liberated” in Syria, according to sources.

Discussions of the direct involvement of European troops in Syria are in line with confirmed reports that the US and Britain have despatched military forces to Jordan, for the purported purpose of policing its border and preventing a spill-over of the conflict.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledged the move at an October 10 meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. The US has repeatedly issued denials of a growing military presence in Turkey located at the Incirlik airbase, but Panetta confirmed that Washington had “worked with” Turkey on “humanitarian, as well as chemical and biological weapons issues.”

The next day, the Times of London and the New York Times reported that Britain too has upward of 150 soldiers and military advisors in Jordan. Jordanian military sources said France may also be involved.

Anonymous senior US defence officials told Reuters that most of those sent to Jordan were Army Special Operations forces, deployed at a military centre near Amman and moving “back and forth to the Syrian border” to gather intelligence and “plan joint Jordanian-US military manoeuvres.”

There is “talk of contingency plans for a quick pre-emptive strike if al Assad loses control over his stock of chemical weapons in the civil war,” Reuters added.

Turkey’s bellicose stand has produced widespread media reports that the US and other NATO powers risk being “dragged into” a wider regional war. This in part reflects real concerns and divisions within imperialist ruling circles and in part an effort to conceal the Western powers’ instrumental role in encouraging military conflict.

Attention has been drawn to the refusal of NATO to heed appeals by Turkey for it to invoke Article 5 of its charter authorising the military defence of a member nation. But despite this, NATO has publicly gone a long way towards endorsing Turkey’s actions.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters at the same Brussels summit that “obviously Turkey can rely on NATO solidarity… Taking into account the situation at our southeastern border, we have taken the steps necessary to make sure that we have all plans in place to protect and defend Turkey,” [emphasis added].

The previous day, a senior US defence official said, “We engage with Turkey to make sure that should the time come where Turkey needs help, we're able to do what we can.”

In an indication of the type of discussions taking place in the corridors of power, several policy advisers have gone into print to outline their proposals for a proxy military intervention by Turkey to which the US could then lend overt support.

Jorge Benitez, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, urged in the October 15 Christian Science Monitor: “To preserve its credibility in Turkey and the region, NATO should offer radar aircraft and/or rapid reaction forces.”

“Too much attention has been focused on the question of invoking Article 5, the alliance’s mutual defence clause,” he added. Other options were available. Before the US-led war against Iraq in 2003, he noted, Turkey had requested a consultative meeting under Article 4 of the NATO treaty “to discuss how the alliance could help Turkey deter an attack from Iraq.”

Using this pretext, NATO approved Operation Display Deterrence, including the dispatch of four AWACS radar aircraft, five Patriot air defence batteries, equipment for chemical and biological defence, and “more than 1,000 ‘technically advanced and highly capable forces’ to support Turkey during the Iraq conflict.”

Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy published an article in the October 11 New York Times on a three-point strategy he called “the right way for Turkey to intervene in Syria.”

He urged Turkey to “continue the current pattern of shelling across the border every time Syria targets Turkey” in order to “weaken Syrian forces” and let the FSA “fill the vacuum;” to “combine shelling with cross-border raids to target Kurdish militants in Syria;” and, if things “get worse along the border,” to stage “a limited invasion to contain the crisis as it did in Cyprus in the 1970s.”