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SIKORSKY'S CHANCES BOOSTED FOR WINNING $1.5 BLN TENDER
Lale SariÝbrahÝmoÐlu Ankara
Today's Zaman
Nov 28 2007
Turkey
Despite initial suggestions that Sikorsky would be unlikely to win
Turkey's $1.5 billion multipurpose helicopter tender, there have been
increased signs that the US company may be chosen as the winner, as
Ankara has been taking steps toward eliminating the other competitors
in the tender.
In an interview with the semi-official Anatolia news agency last week,
Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry
(SSM), said the acquisition of 54 general-purpose helicopters for the
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and 15 reconnaissance helicopters for the
Gendarmerie General Command would be cancelled.
However he said during the same interview that Turkey was not
abandoning the project. Negotiations with alternate companies will be
conducted instead of opening a new tender, provided that participants
agreed on the establishment of a multipurpose helicopter platform
line in Turkey to pave the way for their manufacture in the country,
which would boost Turkish defense industry infrastructure.
Turkish defense industry sources close to the project, however,
told Today's Zaman that Turkey will cancel the earlier tender in
which four companies including Sikorsky are competing, instead of
renewing the same tender -- to increase Sikorsky's chances of winning
the multipurpose helicopter project.
The SSM is also expected to hold contract negotiations for the
acquisition of the multipurpose helicopters with Italian Agusta,
another of the project competitors, mainly to force American Sikorsky
to agree to Turkish terms that involve the transfer of a higher work
share to local companies.
The cancellation of the multipurpose helicopter acquisition and
continuing of negotiations with Sikorsky and Agusta for the their
procurement are among the topics to be discussed during a meeting of
the SSM Executive Committee, postponed to Dec. 5 from Nov. 23 due
to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdohan's mother's health problems
and the death of the elder sister of Turkish Chief of General Staff
Gen. Yaþar Buyukan.ýt.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul is another member of the
executive committee, the top Turkish decision-making organ for arms
purchases. The validity period for the multipurpose tender in which
US Sikorsky, Italian Agusta, French-led Eurocopter and NH Industries
have been competing has ended.
During the committee meeting the tender will be cancelled instead
of extended, paving the way for negotiations with Sikorsky as well
as Agusta.
Israel refuses to let satellite be used over its airspace
Bayar also said the SSM Executive Committee is expected to make a
selection from among the competing companies for the acquisition
of the Gokturk electro-optical satellite system, worth around $250
million. The satellite's camera system will have a resolution below one
centimeter and will feature the capability for border surveillance;
EADS Astrium (Britain), IAI (Israel), Ohb-System (Germany) and
Telespazio (Italy) are competing in the satellite project.
Israel's IAI has imposed a condition that Turkey cannot use the
satellites over Israel's airspace, while listing several countries
that Turkey cannot sell the Israeli system to. Even the US, Israel's
close ally, is forbidden to take satellite pictures over Israeli
airspace, said a Turkish defense industry source. But Turkish Air
Forces Commander Gen. Aydoðan Babaoðlu, as well as other civilian
and military officials, are reported to have rejected the Israeli
conditions.
Those conditions have lessened to a considerable extent Israel's
chance of winning the satellite tender, while Italian Tele Spazio
has reportedly been the competition frontrunner even though it does
not produce satellites, the local industry sources also said.
"Behind Tele Spazio is French Alcatel. Tele Spazio has been offering
the Alcatel-made camera, the most critical part of the satellite," said
the same sources, recalling the Turkish embargo on French companies
due to the French parliament's adoption of a bill accusing Turkey of
an alleged genocide of Armenians at Ottoman hands in 1915.
Increasingly close ties between Turkey and Italy have allegedly been
boosting Italian chances of winning the tender, while it is difficult
to say at this point how Alcatel's existence in the Tele Spazio offer
will affect decision-makers.
"There has been fierce competition taking place among the four bidders
that even the SSM did not ask for; all the competitors are reducing
their prices to increase their chances of winning the tender," said
a defense industry source.
The SSM Executive Committee is also expected to buy four A 400 M
transport aircraft worth around $250 million off the shelf from the
European EADS consortium, to install remote electronic support and
electronic attack systems to support F-16 fighters. Of the systems
three would be installed on transport aircraft while one would be
land-based.
The committee is also expected to decide on the purchase of 800
medium-range anti-tank missiles, worth around $8 million. Israel's
Rafael and Russia's Rosobonoexport are competing in the project.
--Boundary_(ID_izqcbARN8BUxHq3xIyNCHg)--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Lale SariÝbrahÝmoÐlu Ankara
Today's Zaman
Nov 28 2007
Turkey
Despite initial suggestions that Sikorsky would be unlikely to win
Turkey's $1.5 billion multipurpose helicopter tender, there have been
increased signs that the US company may be chosen as the winner, as
Ankara has been taking steps toward eliminating the other competitors
in the tender.
In an interview with the semi-official Anatolia news agency last week,
Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry
(SSM), said the acquisition of 54 general-purpose helicopters for the
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and 15 reconnaissance helicopters for the
Gendarmerie General Command would be cancelled.
However he said during the same interview that Turkey was not
abandoning the project. Negotiations with alternate companies will be
conducted instead of opening a new tender, provided that participants
agreed on the establishment of a multipurpose helicopter platform
line in Turkey to pave the way for their manufacture in the country,
which would boost Turkish defense industry infrastructure.
Turkish defense industry sources close to the project, however,
told Today's Zaman that Turkey will cancel the earlier tender in
which four companies including Sikorsky are competing, instead of
renewing the same tender -- to increase Sikorsky's chances of winning
the multipurpose helicopter project.
The SSM is also expected to hold contract negotiations for the
acquisition of the multipurpose helicopters with Italian Agusta,
another of the project competitors, mainly to force American Sikorsky
to agree to Turkish terms that involve the transfer of a higher work
share to local companies.
The cancellation of the multipurpose helicopter acquisition and
continuing of negotiations with Sikorsky and Agusta for the their
procurement are among the topics to be discussed during a meeting of
the SSM Executive Committee, postponed to Dec. 5 from Nov. 23 due
to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdohan's mother's health problems
and the death of the elder sister of Turkish Chief of General Staff
Gen. Yaþar Buyukan.ýt.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul is another member of the
executive committee, the top Turkish decision-making organ for arms
purchases. The validity period for the multipurpose tender in which
US Sikorsky, Italian Agusta, French-led Eurocopter and NH Industries
have been competing has ended.
During the committee meeting the tender will be cancelled instead
of extended, paving the way for negotiations with Sikorsky as well
as Agusta.
Israel refuses to let satellite be used over its airspace
Bayar also said the SSM Executive Committee is expected to make a
selection from among the competing companies for the acquisition
of the Gokturk electro-optical satellite system, worth around $250
million. The satellite's camera system will have a resolution below one
centimeter and will feature the capability for border surveillance;
EADS Astrium (Britain), IAI (Israel), Ohb-System (Germany) and
Telespazio (Italy) are competing in the satellite project.
Israel's IAI has imposed a condition that Turkey cannot use the
satellites over Israel's airspace, while listing several countries
that Turkey cannot sell the Israeli system to. Even the US, Israel's
close ally, is forbidden to take satellite pictures over Israeli
airspace, said a Turkish defense industry source. But Turkish Air
Forces Commander Gen. Aydoðan Babaoðlu, as well as other civilian
and military officials, are reported to have rejected the Israeli
conditions.
Those conditions have lessened to a considerable extent Israel's
chance of winning the satellite tender, while Italian Tele Spazio
has reportedly been the competition frontrunner even though it does
not produce satellites, the local industry sources also said.
"Behind Tele Spazio is French Alcatel. Tele Spazio has been offering
the Alcatel-made camera, the most critical part of the satellite," said
the same sources, recalling the Turkish embargo on French companies
due to the French parliament's adoption of a bill accusing Turkey of
an alleged genocide of Armenians at Ottoman hands in 1915.
Increasingly close ties between Turkey and Italy have allegedly been
boosting Italian chances of winning the tender, while it is difficult
to say at this point how Alcatel's existence in the Tele Spazio offer
will affect decision-makers.
"There has been fierce competition taking place among the four bidders
that even the SSM did not ask for; all the competitors are reducing
their prices to increase their chances of winning the tender," said
a defense industry source.
The SSM Executive Committee is also expected to buy four A 400 M
transport aircraft worth around $250 million off the shelf from the
European EADS consortium, to install remote electronic support and
electronic attack systems to support F-16 fighters. Of the systems
three would be installed on transport aircraft while one would be
land-based.
The committee is also expected to decide on the purchase of 800
medium-range anti-tank missiles, worth around $8 million. Israel's
Rafael and Russia's Rosobonoexport are competing in the project.
--Boundary_(ID_izqcbARN8BUxHq3xIyNCHg)--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress