Tag: Herons

Turkey to return Israeli-made drones, citing technical problems

Israeli Aerospace Industries says it stood by its obligations and doesn’t know where the problem lies

By Ilan Ben Zion October 28, 2012, 12:27 am 2

UAV Heron in flight (photo credit: IDF Spokesperson)

Ankara is returning three unmanned aerial vehicles purchased from Israel and demanding damages, claiming Israel didn’t uphold the terms of an agreement, Turkish media reported on Saturday.

Turkey decided to send the three Heron drones back after technical problems were found with the aircraft, Turkish news outlet NTV reported. Turkey acquired the drones four years ago as part of a 10 drone, $183 million deal with Israel Aerospace Industries.

According to Israel Radio, Ankara claimed the Israeli government has rejected repeated requests to repair the aircraft, as specified in their agreement. As a result, Turkey has decided to return them to Israel and demand compensation for damages incurred because of Israel’s unwillingness to meet its obligations.

One of the planes crashed while operating on a mission in southeastern Turkey and two others haven’t been used in eight months due to technical issues, Turkey claimed, according to the NTV report.

IAI responded to the report saying that it had stood by all its obligations regarding repair of the aircraft, and that it did not know what the problem was.

Last year, Turkish daily Today’s Zaman reported that Turkey returned several Heron drones for repair because of ”engine-related” and “other problems.” After delays in getting them back to Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly complained. Israel then returned the drones and sent technicians to fix them.

It was not clear whether the Herons being returned to Israel were the same ones that required repair in 2011.

via Turkey to return Israeli-made drones, citing technical problems | The Times of Israel.

October 28, 2012
BDP blames US & Israel for deadly Turkish airstrike

Mehdi Gholizadeh, Press TV, Ankara

Some of the main political parties in Turkey are pointing the finger at the US and Israel over a botched airstrike that had killed around 34 civilians in the southeast of the country last month.

The victims were targeted by Turkey’s F-16 fighter jets as they were initially believed to be members of the armed separatist group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, but were later confirmed to be a group of local smugglers.

The airstrike was widely believed to be the result of an intelligence failure.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, the BDP, has called on the government to declare the source of intelligence that had led to the deadly attack. A senior member of the party has criticized the US ambassador to Turkey who had said the source of the intelligence should be kept secret.

Following the US ambassador’s remark, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, Republican People’s party, advised Turkish journalists to ask from the Israeli embassy about the source of the intelligence. He had earlier urged Ankara to openly declare whether it obtained the intelligence from Israel or the US.

The controversy over the reported role of Israeli and US drones in the deadly airstrike comes as some politicians have called for an immediate end to what they call Turkey’s intelligence reliance on Israel and the US.

Turkey uses Israel’s Heron drones and the US Predator drones for gathering intelligence in its fight against the PKK, but the credibility of the intelligence obtained by the drones has been questioned by some politicians in the country.

Turkish government has vowed that it will carry out an investigation into the airstrike, mainly by closely reviewing four hours of footage related to the airstrike.

via PressTV – BDP blames US & Israel for deadly Turkish airstrike.

January 29, 2012
‘Israeli drones aiding PKK activities in Turkey’

By JPOST.COM STAFF

01/17/2012 21:02

Heron UAVs helped PKK set up bases in Hatay province, Turkish intelligence report says according to ‘Today’s Zaman’

Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles seen hovering over parts Turkey have gathered intelligence for the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), Turkey’s Today’s Zaman reported Tuesday according to Turkish intelligence agencies.

The report claimed that Israeli Heron drones helped the PKK gather information on the Hatay province, bordering Syria, to determine the locations for establishing training bases.

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Today’s Zaman failed to say whether the Turkish report implicated Israel in aiding the PKK in any specific attack, many of which result in the deaths of Turkish soldiers.

It claimed, however, that Kenan Yıldızbakan, a PKK member that organized an assault on a naval base in 2010, had visited Israel a number of times, lending to suspicions of collusion.

The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

The decades-long conflict between Turkey and Kurdish separatists located largely along the Turkish border with Iraq and Syria has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Kurds, and over 10,000 Turkish soldiers and police.

The Turkish intelligence report underlines the low in diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey, which nosedived when Israel announced it would not apologize officially for the deaths of nine Turkish activists aboard the Mavi Marmara.

Turkey downgraded military, political and economic ties with the Jewish state in the wake of the diplomatic row.

via ‘Israeli drones aiding PKK activities in T… JPost – Middle East.

January 18, 2012
‘Turkey must end US, Israel intel. coop’

Turkey uses Israeli-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicles in its military operation against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists. (File photo)

A senior Turkish politician has called on the government for an immediate end to its intelligence cooperation with the United States and Israel, Press TV reports.

“Turkey’s reliance on Israel and the US for gathering intelligence in fight against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) can create serious problems for Turkey,” Mustafa Yilmaz, the deputy leader of Turkey’s Felicity Party, said on Wednesday.

Yilmaz highlighted a recent botched airstrike in southeastern Turkey that killed 35 civilians as yet another proof that Ankara needs to develop its own defense and intelligence infrastructure and end reliance on Israel and the US in this regard.

“The question is that did Israel, or the intelligence it provided, mislead Turkey to carry out the airstrike? The issue should be closely reviewed,” he urged.

The remarks come amid Turkey’s military campaign against the Kurdish separatist militants of PKK which sees the Turkish army employ Israeli-made Heron and US-made Predator drones.

Yilmaz also called on Ankara to reconsider the list of its “strategic allies and partners,” that include the US and Israel. Washington and Tel Aviv are only after their own interests and do not respect the rights and borders of other countries, he noted.

The remarks come amid Turkish media reports that an Israeli spy drone was detected flying over a military zone in the southern province of Hatay in September.

The Heron drone has been reportedly hovering over the military command post for several hours in order to capture the pictures of radars and missile systems in the area.

After the aircraft was confirmed to be an Israeli drone, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from an airbase in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir to ward off the Israeli drone.

Turkish officials have not made any comment about the report.

MRS/JR

via PressTV – ‘Turkey must end US, Israel intel. coop’.

January 6, 2012
Israeli ministers divided over defense exports to Turkey

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is reportedly blocking the sale of Israeli-made defense products to Turkey despite recently intensified efforts to get the two countries to reconcile.

Israeli Foriegn Minister Avigdor Lieberman (L) and Defense Minister Ehud Barak (2nd from L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R).

The Israeli Defense Ministry is trying to re-launch the export of defense products to Turkey as part of an attempt to rescue once good ties the two countries enjoyed in the region for decades, but Lieberman, one of the most adamant opponents to Turkish-Israeli rapprochement, is blocking the sale.

The Jerusalem Post claimed on Tuesday that Lieberman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are at odds over whether Israel should renew defense exports to Turkey, Israeli defense officials informed. The total estimated value of the current military contracts that Turkey has awarded to Israeli companies amounts to $1.8 billion. This figure comprises a significant amount of the two nations’ total annual trade volume of $2.6 billion.

Turkey had cancelled dozens of military agreements, war games and military projects with Israel following a lethal Israeli raid of the Mavi Marmara in May of last year; the ship was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza to breach an Israeli naval blockade.

According to the report, a department within the Israeli Defense Ministry department, the Export Licensing Authority (API), operates in cooperation with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, consulting on all sensitive arms deals. “There is a fundamental disagreement over whether Israel should sell military platforms to Turkey or not,” an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post on Monday.

In May 2007, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Israel, which was returned with a visit by Israeli President Shimon Peres in November of that year. After the two visits, Turkey awarded Israel $700 million in projects, involving tank modernization and the modernization of 48 warplanes and 300 helicopters. In its latest agreement with Israel, Turkey bought 10 unmanned Heron air vehicles; however, there has been a major delay in Israel’s delivery of the Herons, only adding to the problems of the M-60 tender. The Herons, which were initially promised for May 2008, were finally delivered late in 2009.

Officials said the primary reason behind Barak’s support is the need to repair ties with Turkey, which has helped Israel in preventing a new flotilla of ships — currently stuck in Greece — from sailing to the Gaza Strip. Barak, who has been touted as the most pro-Turkish minister in the current Israeli coalition government, said on Monday that “reconciliation with Turkey is drawing near” and that Israel is very interested in “putting the past behind us” in the hope of mending the rift with Turkey.

via Israeli ministers divided over defense exports to Turkey.

July 6, 2011