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The United States will give technical as well as financial assistance to Turkey to set up a simulation center at Middle East Technical University (ODTU) on theater missile defense (systems that shoot down surface-to-surface missiles). Turkey is seeking anti-ballistic missile technology; however, the United States is reluctant to involve Turkey in the joint U.S.-Israeli Arrow 2 anti-tactical ballistic missile system. Any green light to be given to Russia by Turkey concerning cooperation on air defense missile systems will jeopardize Ankara-Washington cooperation, claim military analysts. The list of joint defense industry projects that Russia is desperately seeking to cooperate with Ankara on was presented to Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov during a visit to Ankara on Feb. 29. One of the main themes of Klebanov's visit was to lobby the Turkish government for the selection of Russia's Kamov helicopter in Turkey's multi-billion-dollar attack helicopter project in which the Kamov is competing jointly with Israel's IAI (KA-50-2T Erdogan). A selection on the attack helicopter is expected to be made on March 6. According to a close aid to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Klebanov also offered third-country sales of the Erdogan. Staff Col. Constantine Grek, director of Rosvoorouzhenie in Turkey, Russia's state-owned arms company, gave a detailed account of the Russian proposal in co-production areas in the defense field. Russia suggested the establishment of air defense missile systems in Turkey that will cover the defense of all of Turkey against ballistic missiles. Russia's ANTEY company has been modernizing a longer-range version of S-300 missiles, called the S-400, and this was among the items proposed to Turkey as areas of joint cooperation, said Grek. The Russian sale to the Greek Cypriots of S-300s, which were later transferred to the Greek island of Crete, has still been a contentious issue between Turkey and Russia. Now Russia has come up with an offer of either the sale or the joint production of longer-range S-300 missiles to Turkey. Grek recalled that in the 1990s NATO member Turkey purchased about 250 BTR 60s and 80s from Russia in addition to MI-17 helicopters. "At that time, nobody would have had believed such a cooperation between the two countries. Now it is time to expand this cooperation with the joint production projects, not just for the Russian or the Turkish Armed Forces, but for exports to third countries," he said. According to Grek, Russia has been talking with Turkish armored combat vehicle co-producers about a joint scheme to upgrade the BTR 80s as well as about the building of the BTR 2000. Rosvoorouzhenie is also seeking to co-produce Russian Kalashnikovs with Turkey's state-owned Machines and Chemical Industry Board (MKEK). According to Grek, although premature, they have been discussing the possible joint production of the Kalashnikovs with the MKEK. The Russians hope that Turkey will respond in the near future to their offers on joint production of various military equipment in Turkey. Grek argues that their systems are three or four times cheaper than Western systems and are also sophisticated, adding that Russia not only offers know-how but also the 100 per cent transfer of technology to Turkey. According to the Rosvoorouzhenie representative, concern in countries such as Turkey that their equipment should meet NATO standards is no longer valid because, he says, NATO members Turkey and Greece have already been using Russian-made equipment such as BTR armored vehicles, and countries like Poland that have became NATO members have former eastern bloc technology equipment. (Turkish Daily News, Lale Sariibrahimoglu)
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Looking
for customers for its ailing defense industry market, Russia has offered
to sell to Turkey or jointly produce longer-range, recently upgraded
S-300s as well as aid Ankara in setting up an air defense missile system
against ballistic missiles. Russia's proposal came at a time when Ankara
and Washington have been working closely on anti-ballistic missile
defense systems against the threat of ballistic missiles posed by
Turkey's southeastern and southern neighbors.