Turkey to purchase up to 145 attack and reconnaissance helicopters in $4 billion deal

Published: 8/16/1999

According to the Anatolian news agency, Turkey's armed forces have asked five companies to submit final bids in a tender to purchase attack and reconnaissance helicopters. The five contenders comprise: Italy's Agusta, Bell Helicopter Textron, Boeing McDonnell Douglas, French-German Eurocopter and Kamov-A from Russia. Turkey is ultimately seeking a total of 145 helicopters, in a deal reputed to be worth around $4 billion. Military analysts claim that attack helicopters are Turkey's most potent weapon against separatist Kurdish guerrillas. The five firms are required to submit their final bids by September 30th 1999 and a final decision is expected in December, 1999. Turkish authorities had earlier threatened to exclude Italy's Agusta from the list, in retaliation for Rome's refusal to extradite Kurdish guerrilla leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in 1998.

Article ID: 757