Reporter.gr: 29 May 2006 - European Eurofighter consortium proposes a $5 billion industrial participation program to Turkey if it agrees to become the fifth partner of the group, matching the over $4 billion offer made by the multinational JSF group led by Lockheed Martin, reports Turkish Daily News.
The bidding game between the European Eurofighter consortium and the multinational Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) group entered a new stage over the weekend with Eurofighter -- which builds the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet -- proposing a $5 billion industrial participation program to Turkey, a deal that will take effect if Ankara decides to become the group's fifth partner, against the more than $4 billion offer made by the JSF group.
Giovanni Bertolone, chief executive officer for Alenia Aeronautica, said that the proposal involves the final assembly of the entire program beginning with the manufacture of aircraft for Turkey. An Alenia official said that the assembly work would involve about 100 aircraft for the Turkish Air Force plus over 300 aircraft the Eurofighter group hopes to sell to other buyers.
“This is a comprehensive proposal presently in the process of deep discussions [with the Turkish authorities],” Bertolone told reporters in Florence. “Our impression is that the SSM [Turkey's defense procurement office] are favorable toward this industrial participation proposal.”
He said if Turkey became the group's fifth partner, it would be tasked with promoting the fighter in “countries with which it has friendly relations,” like Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.