NATO Sets Up Missile Defense Shield In Turkey

The Patriot missile defense system is meant to protect Turkey, in case neighboring Syria launches an attack. But the area is too big for the existing missile defense shield – not all cities are covered.

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At the beginning of February 2013, German, Dutch and US patriot missiles are expected to be set up in southeastern Turkey, facing skywards. The sophisticated weapon systems are to deter possible missile attacks by Syria towards NATO ally, Turkey. The Germans are stationed in Kahramanmaras, the Dutch in the Mediterranean city of Adana and US troops in Gaziantep. Major cities like Diyarbakir or Batman lie outside the protection zone. The six patriot missiles will not suffice to effectively protect the 900 kilometer (560 miles) border with Syria.

German Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Markus Werther stressed in an interview with DW that the decision regarding the German forces’ location had been made within NATO’s framework. There was close cooperation between all countries involved, he said.

“Together with our partners, the Netherlands, the USA and Turkey, Germany decided to go to Kahramanmaras,” Werther added. On January 8th, 2013, the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, began shipping the missiles.

Patriot stationing a symbolic act

Technical issues delay Turkish F-35 order

Turkey HAS Decided to delay the purchase of icts first two Lockheed Martin F-35s by one year, factoring and technical Citing a "high yield cost."

The Turkish government approved two-year initial purchase aircraft on 5 January 2012, before launching talks with Lockheed to finalizing a deal. However, an order for the pair has-been put on hold Because the technical capabilities of the aircraft are "not yet at the level Desired," the nation's Undersecretary of Defence Industries procurement agency says. Ankara still intends to buy 100 of the combat aircraft in the long term, it notes.

Budget figures selon released in 2011, Ankara's Eventual 100-F-35 aircraft program shoulds cost about $ 16 billion. Its Plans call for two aircraft to be Delivered in 2015 to supporting pilot training activities in the USA, with examples Subsequent to arrive in Turkey from 2016.

Turkey postpones purchasing U.S F-35 fighters

Turkey has decided to postpone the purchase of F-35 fighters, online newspaper Sabah reported today, citing a source at the Defense Ministry.
According to the newspaper, the final decision was postponed until the middle of the year.
Early last year, the Turkish government permitted the secretariat of the defense industry to purchase the first two U.S F-35 fighters.
In general, Turkey is planning to buy 116 F-35 fighters: 100 fighters as part of the main contract, and 16 as part of the option.

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Purchase of the fighters was previously postponed several times because of the U.S.'s refusal to provide Turkey with fighter software codes needed to operate the proper weaponry and undertake F-35 technical maintenance.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Russia to target Turkey with anti-aircraft missiles

ISTANBUL - Russia has begun installing a new state-of-the-art anti-aircraft weapon system in its southern military region with an eye toward targeting Turkey in response to a NATO missile defense shield outpost that was recently established in East Anatolia, daily Hürriyet reported.

The installation will be completed by the end of this year, said Russian Col. Igor Gorbul, adding that the S-400 anti-aircraft missiles were capable of destroying all types of airplanes, as well as ultra-stratospheric and ballistic missiles.

Turkish-Russian tensions rose last week after Ankara forced down a Syrian passenger plane en route from Moscow to Damascus on suspicions that it was carrying weapons, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov moved to defuse tensions by saying the country’s bilateral relationship would not be damaged by the incident.

Turkish-Egyptian exercise in the eastern Mediterranean

Turkish and Egyptian navies are in joint maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean, from October 7 to 14.If this exercise is enough ritual takes place in the fall, it is clear that the situation in Syria - and its recent escalation - as the possible repercussions in Lebanon, make the exercise Bahr E Sadaka (Sea of ​​friendship) unusual. Especially since the Turks have the means. As our colleague Turkish navy Turskish they undertake two frigates, two fast attack vessels, a tanker, but two landing ships, an infantry company mrine, two helicopters and a team of special forces.

Turkey / Syria: the reasons for the anger

Wednesday, facing the shelling of the army Bashar Assad, Ankara bombing response and Syria.The Turkish parliament authorized the government to intervene even if Damascus apologized.Tensions between the two countries date back yesterday and yet not reappear intensely in these times of crisis. 

Syrian bombing Wednesday, October 3, in the border village of Alçacale Turkey has killed 5 people: 1 woman and 4 children. 5 dead too. Ankara could not pass up. This is not the first time on September 26, shell fire destroyed a house in the same locality. Not to mention the Turkish fighter, an F-4 shot in full flight on June 22. This time the Turks had "hit the mark" to prevent Damascus feels omnipotent.Half an hour after the shelling of Syria, Ankara began bombing targets in Syria.

This escalation of violence between the two countries is dreaded for months by the UN. Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN international mediator for the Syrian crisis, suggests a situation potentially"catastrophic for the region."  However, tensions between Turkey and Syria are rooted in history and relate to very susceptible.

The territory of Hatay, better known as the Sanjak of Alexandretta name, is the first bone of contention between Ankara and Damascus. Until 1939, it is part of the current Syrian territory, then under French mandate. Upon his departure, France gives way to Turkey. Upon independence in 1936, Syria claimed the Sanjak of Alexandretta in vain. Damascus continues to consider that the territory granted to the Turks who rightfully.

The issue of sharing the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is not to be overlooked either. The administration of two rivers in Turkey, where they find their sources, has been at the expense of its neighbors Syrian and Iraqi. Along the Euphrates, Turkey has established five large dams for irrigation or power generation. Result: very little water actually happening in Syria and Iraq, which called for the establishment a status  "international" of these water resources.