Britain seeks to boost defense cooperation with Turkey

Ümit Enginsoy

ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

Despite loose defense industry ties between Turkey and the UK, the British Aerospace Systems wants to develop, produce and export a combat ship with Turkey, according to an executive

Britain, the world’s second largest defense exporter after the United States, but which has little presence in Turkey, has launched a major effort for joint manufacture and joint export to third countries of defense equipment with Ankara, a senior British industry official said Thursday.

Britain’s defense exports worldwide surpassed 7 billion pounds in 2009, taking a nearly 20 percent share of the global market. But its activities in Turkey, with a flourishing defense industry, in the last 15 years were limited to the production of electronic warfare systems for Turkish F-16 fighter planes by the American arm of BAE Systems, the largest defense company in Britain and Europe and the second-largest in the world.

Also the American arms of the same company has a 49 percent stake in FNSS, a top Turkish armored vehicles firm, which earlier this year signed a $600 million deal for the export of the Pars, an 8X8 wheeled vehicle, in the largest ever single export contract in Turkey’s history.

The government of British Prime Minister David Cameron, in power since last year, unofficially has designated Turkey, together with Brazil and India, as top potential strategic partners in the defense industry.

During a visit to Ankara in January, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox strongly backed Turkey’s membership in the European Union and pledged to bolster defense industry cooperation.

During IDEF-11 earlier this year, Turkey’s largest defense fair in Istanbul, Alan Garwood, group business development director for BAE Systems, said his company wanted to partner more with the Turkish defense industry.

Net exporter of defense equipment

“BAE Systems would be very pleased to collaborate further with Turkey and assist with the country’s aspiration to become a net exporter of defense and security equipment,” Garwood said on May 10.

The company has considerable experience of assisting in the development of indigenous defense capabilities in markets around the world. In terms of near-term defense collaboration, Garwood identified the naval sector as a good opportunity for Turkey and Britain to work closely together.

“Turkey has ambitions and aspirations for the development of its local defense industry. By 2023, it wants to become a net exporter of defense goods,” a senior official from BAE Systems told Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review here Thursday.

“BAE Systems has significant expertise in working with host countries. A commitment between Britain and Turkey to form more business partnership on Global Combat Ships could potentially be a specific opportunity,” said the British official.

The Global Combat Ship, being developed by BAE Systems, is a future vision of what is now known as frigates in present navies. It is a multirole warship designed to be offered in anti-submarine warfare, air defense and general purpose variants.

Turkey presently is working to design the features and specifications of its future naval vessels. The British company’s Global Combat Ship is likely to face strong rivals, including U.S. and Italian firms in a future competition.

BAE Systems also is a partner of the pan-European Eurofigher consortium, whose other partners include Italian, German and Spanish companies and which makes the European Typhoon fighter planes. Eurofighter seeks to include Turkey in the development and manufacture of the aircraft’s new versions.

via Britain seeks to boost defense cooperation with Turkey – Hurriyet Daily News.