Turkish Patriots

Wdll · #1 September 12th, 2009, 07:21 AM

Having a factory that makes parts doesn't mean they have Patriots.

The thing is, if you follow turkish intents, every year they make claims about what they are interested in (I am talking about officials), by them, the turkish armed forces would have over 1000 M1A2s, 180 Apache, etc etc etc. The are political moves, to pressure, mainly the USA, for other things. With rarely having to do something with real plan to get them.
I just don't believe that the claim of a desire to buy something has much to do with what you have now. But that's just me.

redcoat2 · #2 September 12th, 2009, 08:46 AM

The Turks are more likely to buy Patriot missiles if they are part assembled in Turkey. It is Turkish Government policy to favour foreign weapon systems that can be assembled by Turkish arms manufacturers.

They have not yet made a decision regarding their long range air defence tender. There is some speculation in Turkey that a final decision could be made soon - during the next couple of months. Given the current economic downturn and the state of Turkey’s finances it is also possible that they may decide to shelve their air defence program altogether.

The Turks have also expressed an interest in the Russian S-400. It is rumoured that the Turkish military liked it more than Patriot. Two other systems have bid for the Turkish air defence tender: the Chinese HQ-9 and the US/Israeli developed Arrow. They are not thought to be in the running now though. But who knows. The Chinese system is cheaper.