Turkey Launches Jet Trainer Contest

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Turkey Launches Jet Trainer Contest; from defensenews.com
Tweet Topic Started: Jan 15 2006, 10:52 PM (317 Views)
israeli	Jan 15 2006, 10:52 PM Post #1
Posts: 3,069 Group: Elite Member #22 Joined: July 13, 2004	Turkey Launches Jet Trainer Contest By BURAK EGE BEKDIL, ANKARA http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1460906&C=europe After major delays due mainly to financial constraints, Turkey’s procurement authorities officially have opened an international competition for the purchase of basic jet trainers to quickly replace the country’s aging fleet. Turkey’s procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, or Savunma Sanayi Mustesarligi (SSM), launched the bidding Jan. 4 for the purchase of 36 trainers with an option for 19 more aircraft. The contract aims to obtain maximum local industry content, the SSM said. Industry sources estimate the contract’s value between $350 million and $450 million. A procurement official said Ankara aims to make a decision on the competition by 2007. According to the request for proposal (RfP), contenders must submit a U.S. FAR 23 or European EASA CS 23 certification for the aircraft they would offer. The competition is open for turboprop models only; turbofan options will not be considered. Two-seater trainer jets should have glass cockpits, according to the RfP, a copy of which was obtained by DefenseNews.com. Bidders must respond to the RfP by May 5. The procurement official said Ankara expects a four-way competition between the EMB-314 Super Tucano, built by Embraer, San Jose dos Campos, Brazil; the KT-1, produced by Korea Aerospace Industries, Seoul; the PC-9 from Pilatus Aircraft, Stans, Switzerland; and the T-6A Texan 2 from Raytheon, Waltham, Mass. Although the SSM intended to open the competition also to turbofans, the Turkish Air Force ruled out that option, citing potentially high purchase and maintenance costs, the official said. That keeps a potentially major contender outside of the competition: Aermacchi, maker of the M311 and a subsidiary of Rome-based Finmeccanica. The Air Force has been looking for a new basic trainer to replace its aging T-37B/C jets since the late 1990s. In 2001, the service and SSM solicited information from potential bidders for 50 to 60 trainers. Turkey’s T-37 aircraft are more than 40 years old, and the Air Force plans to phase them out as soon as the new aircraft are delivered. Military officials said they have hastened the program because of serious safety concerns about the old jet trainers. “The more we delay the trainer program, the more risky our training flights turn out to be,” said one official. “We need to conclude this program as soon as possible.”
	"To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz


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