Turk Air Force Opts for JSF Over Eurofighter

[ekrem]

By BURAK EGE BEKDIL, ANKARA, and UMIT ENGINSOY, WASHINGTON


Turkey’s Air Force has selected the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), now called the Lightning II, over Europe’s Eurofighter Typhoon for the NATO nation’s 15-year, $10 billion program to buy about 100 new-generation fighter aircraft, Turkish procurement and military officials said.
Although the Air Force, as the user, is not the sole authority for a final decision, its position is dominant and backed by the powerful General Staff, analysts said.

“Although this decision is not official yet, we can say that Turkey’s JSF move is almost final, after the Air Force has clarified its position,” said one defense analyst in Ankara.

In the past few months, the selection process had been narrowed down to a choice between buying all JSFs and a mixed buy of the JSF and the Typhoon.
But the Air Force, whose fighter fleet is exclusively of U.S. design and which follows a strong American tradition, has opted for an all-JSF solution, the officials said.

Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and procurement chief Murad Bayar are due to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Gordon England, deputy defense secretary, and other top U.S. defense officials in Washington Oct. 30. They will then visit the Lockheed Martin JSF plant in Fort Worth, Texas, the officials said.

The Turkish team and their U.S. counterparts are expected to discuss final details for the planned JSF deal.

A formal announcement on the fighter selection is expected in December.
The new-generation fighter program, Turkey’s largest defense procurement project, is designed to replace the Air Force’s aging F-16 and F-4E aircraft starting beginning in the mid-2010s.


http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2306905&C=europe

By December this year all partner countries of the JSF are going to have to sign on, or they will opt out of the program if they don't sign.

Turkish Airforce is modernizing, some projects:

in service between 2010 and 2020: 100 F-35
upgrade of existing 245 F-16 by CCIP-programme to Block 52+
upgrade of existing 50 F-4E to Terminator 2020
upgrade of existing 48 F-5E together with Israel
in service in 2008: 4+ 2 option AEW&C MESA (Awacs)
in service by 2010: 10 A-400 M cargo/air-refuel planes

 

[90K]

Lockheed Martin and BAE should be happy with this deal once it goes through.

 

[onedomino]

This is a very interesting result. It will make sure that the Turkish Air Force is extremely capable. The deal helps ties with the US, despite all the anti-American rhetoric that appears in the Turkish media. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the deal is the implicit snub that it gives to the EU. Other countries participating in the Joint Strike Fighter program include: United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, and Norway. Of these countries, the UK is expected to obtain the greatest quantity of JSF aircraft: 150. The US expects to acquire 2443 aircraft: http://www.aviationtoday.com/reports/strike.pdf.

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[akiboy]

This is a very interesting result. It will make sure that the Turkish Air Force is extremely capable. The deal helps ties with the US, despite all the anti-American rhetoric that appears in the Turkish media. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the deal is the implicit snub that it gives to the EU. Other countries participating in the Joint Strike Fighter program include: United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, and Norway. Of these countries, the UK is expected to obtain the greatest quantity of JSF aircraft: 150. The US expects to acquire 2443 aircraft: http://www.aviationtoday.com/reports/strike.pdf.

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Nice pic One Domino. Are the F-35's or Joint Strike Fighter more advanced then the F-18's?

 

[onedomino]

Nice pic One Domino. Are the F-35's or Joint Strike Fighter more advanced then the F-18's?

Yes, considerably. Although it is a single engine fighter like the F-16; not a two engine jet like the F-18. The F-35 has stealth capability. Meaning it has a very low radar signature. It carries weapons internally. The F-35 will come in three variants. One F-35 will take off and land normally at airports. Thus it is adapted for use by the Air Force. Another F-35 type will be used by the Navy and it will be capable of taking off and landing on aircraft carriers. A third type of F-35 will be capable of verticle take offs and landings. The F-35 is still in development, but we may see some delivered by sometime next year. Originally expected to cost about $40 to $50 million per copy, the aircraft may run as high as $75 million each. The current F-18 costs about $40 to $50 million each, and more than capable of defeating any fighter possessed by Pakistan or China. None of these aircraft compare to the F-22, a true stealth machine, with vectored thrust and capable of supersonic speed without afterburner. The US Air Force expects to acquire more than 300 F-22 at a cost of more than $250 million each. There are already at least three operational F-22 squadrons. Although the F-22 has not yet been deployed in combat, no EU, Russian, or Chinese fighter possesses anything close to the stealth, speed, range, weapons, and maneuverability of the F-22 Raptor. The F-35 was developed, in part, because the Raptor is so expensive that not even the US can afford very many aircraft.

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The air superiority fighter: F-22 Raptor
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[akiboy]

Yes, considerably. Although it is a single engine fighter like the F-16; not a two engine jet like the F-18. The F-35 has stealth capability. Meaning it has a very low radar signature. It carries weapons internally. The F-35 will come in three variants. One F-35 will take off and land normally at airports. Thus it is adapted for use by the Air Force. Another F-35 type will be used by the Navy and it will be capable of taking off and landing on aircraft carriers. A third type of F-35 will be capable of verticle take offs and landings. The F-35 is still in development, but we may see some delivered by sometime next year. Originally expected to cost about $40 to $50 million per copy, the aircraft may run as high as $75 million each. The current F-18 costs about $40 to $50 million each, and more than capable of defeating any fighter possessed by Pakistan or China. None of these aircraft compare to the F-22, a true stealth machine, with vectored thrust and capable of supersonic speed without afterburner. The US Air Force expects to acquire more than 300 F-22 at a cost of more than $250 million each. There are already at least three operational F-22 squadrons. Although the F-22 has not yet been deployed in combat, no EU, Russian, or Chinese fighter possesses anything close to the stealth, speed, range, weapons, and maneuverability of the F-22 Raptor. The F-35 was developed, in part, because the Raptor is so expensive that not even the US can afford very many aircraft.

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The air superiority fighter: F-22 Raptor
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Then what about the Stealth Bomber? I thought there was only one Stealth in the U.S.A.F and that is this one......

 

[no1tovote4]

Good choice....

Isn't this a bit like choosing Prime Rib over Chopped Liver though?

 

[onedomino]

Good choice....

Isn't this a bit like choosing Prime Rib over Chopped Liver though?

What do you mean?

 

[onedomino]

Then what about the Stealth Bomber? I thought there was only one Stealth in the U.S.A.F and that is this one......

The USAF has at least four steath aircraft types of different capabilities: F-117 bomber, B-2 bomber, F-22 fighter, F-35 fighter. The USAF may have other stealth recon aircraft, but if it does, it does not talk about them.

 

[no1tovote4]

What do you mean?

I mean the F-35 is a better machine than the Eurofighter. What did it sound like I meant?

 

[onedomino]

I mean the F-35 is a better machine than the Eurofighter. What did it sound like I meant?

I did not know, that's why I asked. And you are right in your assessment of the F-35 over the Typhoon. Compared to the Eurofighter, the Turks will end up paying Lockheed lots more money for the capability they will get with the F-35. Their long-time adversaries the Greeks look comparatively weak with their F-16s.