As speculation mounted that Turkey might opt for an Israeli armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to meet its needs, the Turkish Land Forces Command made its official request to the country's procurement agency to launch a bid for a US General Atomics Aeronautical Systems made Predator UAV.

The Turkish army sent a letter to the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), Turkey's military procurement agency, on December 4th, requesting it initiate the purchase of at least one U.S. Predator UAV under the Foreign Military Sales conditions, said well-informed Turkish defense industry sources close to the project. The Turkish army, said to be uneasy because the SSM was dragging its feet to initiate the purchase of a Predator, made its request to the procurement agency amid speculation that the Turkish government has shown an interest in buying at least one Israeli made Harpy 2 following Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül's visit to Tel Aviv in late October. Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Işık Koşaner acknowledged at a news conference on October 27th that Turkey plans to buy a US-made UAV, noting that the Turkish military has one Predator UAV at its disposal and has been gathering intelligence on the activities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), mostly in northern Iraq. If purchased, the U.S. has pledged to supply Turkey with the system within 18 months.

In a related development, soon after the arrival of two out of 10 long-awaited Israeli Heron UAVs to Turkey late last month, some Turkish press reported technical problems with the vehicles. Quoting Anka news agency, local Aselsan-made electro-optical payloads (Aselflir 300T), which were mounted on the two Herons, were heavier, thus reducing the altitude of the vehicles from the required 30,000 feet to 24,000 feet. Decline in altitude of Herons delivered to Turkey will make them prone to the enemy targets while causing a waste of fuel, a shorter range, and less endurance in air, and a smaller surveillance area. Turkish defense industry sources confirmed the report but claimed that the technical problems with the Heron UAVs are not insurmountable. The engines of the Heron UAVs are being strengthened to carry the heavy Aselflirs in order for the UAVs to reach an altitude of 30,000 feet. The vehicles are deployed at the Batman military base in the country's southeast.

(Source: Today's Zaman. Photo, top, Predator, courtesy of Raytheon. Photo, bottom, Heron UAV, courtesy IAI.)



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