Forum: Program and politics

Turkey purchases two F-35 Lightning II aircraft at IDEF '13 | 8 May 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ISTANBUL

Quote:

"Turkey's Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) signed an agreement on Wednesday with Lockheed Martin to make two additional purchases from the F-35 Lightning II family of aircraft, the world's only fifth generation multirole fighters, to be delivered by 2016...."

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-314882- ... ef-13.html

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Good news! Apparently Turkey is confident in the F-35A again! Delivery in 2016 will mean they will be added to the LRIP-8 batch, correct?

joost wrote:

Good news! Apparently Turkey is confident in the F-35A again! Delivery in 2016 will mean they will be added to the LRIP-8 batch, correct?

I think it is undervalued how good of news the small orders really are. No one who starts ordering a few when they don't have to is going to walk from the whole program. Once you order a few the F-35 is likely your major fighter program for the next 20 or so years.

Exactly!

I don't suppose anybody cares to speculate about those orders in the following context?

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Turkish fighter concept breaks cover

"We've seen some exciting news from the IDEF show in Istanbul this week, where Turkish Aerospace Industries has revealed imagery showing three potential designs for the nation's TFX future [Link pending approval];

[Link pending approval]
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Is TAI just showboating, since Turkey really loves the F-35, its NATO partners, and won't live without them? (Vote CONSTANTINOPLE)

or

Any credence to say Turkey may be partnering with JSF just to advance their industry, stay friendly, but balk and go it alone asap? (Vote ISTANBUL)

My opinion is that most of these programs (Turkey, Japan, South Korea ect) are about paying lip service to buying at home and have very little chance of coming to ultimate fruition. Regardless of what Turkey might or might not get from the JSF they would have to invest billions to build something remotely comparable themselves.

What I think happens instead is that nations like this buy F-35's in tranches and just keep pushing back their "domestic" program to the next tranche as they buy more and more F-35's. Japan buys 42 F-35's now. Then when it needs to replace its next batch of fighters and the domestic program is not there yet they buy 40 more F-35's and look to their program for the next tranche.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/f-35-p ... sCatID=345

F-35 project to ‘earn Turkey $12 billion’
ISTANBUL - Reuters

Turkey, a member of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, will gain at least $12 billion by the end of the F-35 project in 2039, a senior executive of the U.S. aerospace industries company Lockheed Martin has said at the 11th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) being held from May 7 to 10 in Istanbul.

“We planned to build 3,100 jets by 2039 in the framework of the [F-35] project. It means a business worth around $12 billion for Turkey,” Steve O’Bryan, the Vice President of F-35 Business Development at Lockheed Martin, said on May 8.

Turkey is one of nine countries that are part of a U.S.-led consortium to build the F-35 fighter. The others are Britain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Norway and Denmark. O’Bryan stated that if Turkey was not one of nine provider countries of the F-35 project, they could not have achieved it.

“Turkey obtained a contract worth $300 million from this project even though it has not made any jet orders. However, this amount will increase to $1 billion when jet orders start to be delivered,” he said.

O’Bryan stated that “Turkey’s 100-plane order, which will be worth less than $12 billion, will be delivered between 2017 and 2025. But, Turkey will also manufacture the planned 3,100 jets.”

Turkey had planned to order 100 units of the stealth fighter to replace its current fleet, consisting mainly of F-4 Phantoms and F-16 Falcons, but it postponed in January the order to purchase its first two U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets due to technical problems and rising costs, but said it still intends to buy 100 more in the long run.

I wouldn't ignore the various nations DIY fifth-gen programs, as long as at least two of those nations partner up, or get assistance from the US. While the programs appear to be simple political ploys, there is still a chance that one of them could bear fruit eventually. And the purpose of these programs isn't really to build an F-35 rival. The purpose is to develop industry in the long term.

SomeOne has their knickers twisted?

Turkey getting billions in F-35 subcontracts — without buying the F-35 10 May 2013 | Posted by WorldTribune.com

Quote:

"ISTANBUL — Turkey has been awarded billions of dollars worth of subcontracts without the purchase of the Joint Strike Fighter....

http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/05/10/ ... -the-f-35/