|
|
 Turkey
has been asking the foreign companies competing in its tender for
billions of dollars worth of main battle tank (MBT) projects, to
procure export license guarantees from their governments before the
final selections are made. The request will particularly affect the
companies from Germany and the United States that are competing in
the tender since neither of these countries, for political and
technical reasons, is able to issue export license guarantee letters
before the selection has been made.
Ankara, however, is insisting that foreign companies come up with
strong assurances from their governments over the transfer of the
required technology for both projects if they want to increase their
chance of winning.
Despite some improvements in Turkey's human rights record European
countries, and Germany in particular, have been refusing to transfer
some military equipment to Turkey.
With regards to Turkey's $7 billion main battle tank project, the
Turkish Daily News has learned that the German company Krauss Maffei,
competing in the tender with its Leopard 2 tanks, has already
written a letter to its government to obtain the export license as
required by Turkey's Defense Industries Undersecretariat (SSM), one
of the two official agencies in charge of defense procurement.
The German government, however, is not expected to issue the license
before the selection is made. Even the question of allowing Leopard
2 tanks to be tested in Turkey was enough to cause heated debate
within the government in Berlin. A Leopard 2 tank is currently being
tested in Sarikamis in Turkey's northeastern region of Kars.
In an earlier announcement the SSM said that the final selection
would be made once the test trials are completed, in six months'
time. Following a one-month delay, the trials are now expected to be
completed at the end of July, instead of late June this year.
"The SSM's announcement, that it will make its final selection
at the end of July, was a surprise for the competing companies as
they were expecting the final selections to be made later than that.
For this reason companies like Krauss Maffei may have difficulty in
obtaining an export license guarantee from their governments,
especially after the hot debate that took place in Germany regarding
the Leopard 2's trials," said one company source.
The final selection on main battle tanks will be made on July 14, a
local industry source said. But a financial shortage may prevent
them from going ahead with all 1,000 tanks as had been planned.
Top contractors from Turkey have teamed up with one of the foreign
companies offering MBT designs. General Dynamics Land Systems from
the United States, offering the M1A2 fitted with a diesel engine,
has teamed up with BMC and Nurol Makina. Germany's Krauss-Maffei
Wegmann, proposing its Leopard 2A6 design, has established a
consortium with Otokar. Offering the Leclerc design, France's Giat
Industries has teamed up with Roketsan. Ukraine's Ukrspetsexport has
teamed with Asmas to offer the T-84.
SSM, extending the deadline once more to respond to the Request for
Proposals (RfPs) for MBTs, finally received the responses on Jan.
31. The RfPs' call for bids for four prototype MBTs and an initial
production batch of 250 vehicles. A total of 1,000 MBTs worth $7
billion is scheduled to be produced in batches. But there is
speculation that this number may be reduced.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Land Forces Command, angry with the German
government's current refusal to give permission for the delivery of
150 Leopard 1 tanks, which became obsolete for the German army, has
taken this attitude as a negative answer.
Depending on improvements in Turkey's political climate Germany
needs more time to decide on the transfer of equipment to Turkey as
well as to decide on the issue of export licenses for Leopard 2
tanks. (Turkish Daily News, Lale Sariibrahimoglu).
Click to return the Tank-2000 News Headlines
|