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Turkey's top government and military authorities will meet Tuesday to select and announce the winner of a $4 billion contract for the co-production of 109 utility helicopters, a senior procurement official said Friday.

Turkey's top decision-making body for procurement, The Defense Industry Executive Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will convene to choose between the United States’ Sikorsky Aircraft and Italy's AgustaWestland.

Sikorsky is offering its T-70, the Turkish version of its S-70 Black Hawk International, which is presently being used by the militaries of dozens of countries, including Turkey. AgustaWestland is competing with its TUHP 149, the Turkish version of its newly developed A-149.

"The event will have only one agenda item: the selection of Turkey's new utility helicopter type," the procurement official said.
The first batch will be for 109 utility helicopters, but with follow-on orders, more than 300 platforms are expected to be built with a price tag of over $10 billion, according to defense analysts.

The Turkish decision comes at the end of a final round of talks with the two competing companies.

"The two offers will be judged in accordance with their final prices and commercial benefits for the Turkish industry involved in the program," said the procurement official.

Sikorsky Aircraft and AgustaWestland have so far announced benefit packages worth billions of dollars each.

Several Turkish companies, most notably Turkish Aerospace Industries, or TAI, will take part in the joint production of the platforms.

In addition to Erdoğan, the Defense Industry Executive Committee's other members include Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, Chief of General Staff General Isık Koşaner and Turkey's top procurement official, Murad Bayar.

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Déjà vu all over again...

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Turkey's top procurement body has once again delayed a much-expected, multibillion-dollar decision planned for Tuesday to select between an U.S. company and an Italian firm to lead the production of Turkey's next generation of military utility helicopters.

The key reason is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ongoing visit to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

The members of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, the top procurement body, are Erdoğan, Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, Chief of the General Staff Gen. Işık Koşaner and procurement chief Murad Bayar.
One procurement official said now the decision is expected to be announced toward the end of next week.

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Crew members at RAF Valley in Anglesey, where the Prince works as a search and rescue (SAR) pilot, praised him for his progress and said all 27 members of C Flight 22 had been invited to the wedding, along with their partners.

Flight Commander Iain ''Spike'' Wright, William's line manager, said he was ''dumbfounded'' when he realised he had been invited.

''I didn't expect it. It's a great honour. Then I relaxed and thought 'This is actually going to be quite good fun'.''

Flt Cdr Wright, 42, who is originally from Plymouth, added: ''The vast majority of us are going with our partners.''

Flight Lieutenant Thomas ''Sticky'' Bunn, 38, said: ''First of all I couldn't believe it. My wife certainly couldn't. When that envelope drops through the door with a Buckingham Palace stamp on it, it's not something you see every day.''

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The former Royal Navy flagship and icon of the Falklands War, HMS Invincible, has arrived at the Turkish port where she is due to be scrapped. She could eventually be recycled into girders for buildings, bridge cables, chairs or even razor blades.

Half a million people turned out to welcome Invincible on her return from the Falklands in 1982, including the Queen who was in attendance as head of the Armed Forces as well as being a proud mother who's son, Prince Andrew, was serving aboard as a helicopter pilot.

When Invincible departed Portsmouth on her final voyage, less than 50 people turned out at the quayside to see her off. The Royal Navy made no announcement of her farewell and did not even lay on a piper.

It fell to a lone standard-bearer from the Royal British Legion and a handful of well wishers to pay tribute.

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Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says the Prime Minister's use of an Air Force Iroquois helicopter on Saturday was appropriate and perfectly reasonable.

Mr Key was flown from Auckland to Hamilton and back, so he could attend both the V8s racing and a golf club dinner.

The Labour and Green parties have labelled the trip extravagant and disgraceful.

Dr Mapp says when Mr Key has accepted an invitation it is important he show up and he disagrees with criticism of the use of the Iroquois.
He told Morning Report the Prime Minister often has to be in different places within a short time and it is perfectly reasonable that he would use an Iroquois, as have previous Prime Ministers.

Labour's associate finance spokesperson, Trevor Mallard, says using a helicopter was slower than using a car in this instance, and even if there was extra time involved it was an expensive exercise and one which should not be happening.

The Air Force has confirmed Mr Key has used the helicopters four times since 31 March.

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An RAF pilot who managed to land his Chinook helicopter carrying injured troops after being shot in the head in Afghanistan was honoured at Buckingham Palace.

Flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing injured troops under fire and while injured himself.

Prince Charles spoke to the pilot about his lucky escape and was enthralled by his "most excellent story".

After getting his award Flt Lt Fortune said: "It feels tremendous. The hairs on the back of my neck are still standing up. I feel very proud.

"The Prince of Wales asked me how I managed it all and I said I didn't really know."

In January 2010, the 29-year-old pilot had taken off from Garmsir in Helmand province with six wounded soldiers on board when his Chinook came under fire from Taliban militants.

One bullet came through the windscreen and shattered his helmet visor but was deflected by his night vision goggles.

Flt Lt Fortune recalled: "When I twigged that I had been hit with a bullet and that I was okay, it was a pretty amazing feeling.

"If it hadn't been for that bit of metal (on my goggles), I might not have been here today."

Despite his injuries the pilot managed to get his damaged helicopter back to base. All the wounded soldiers on board survived.

Flt Lt Fortune said: "The main sense of achievement as a result of getting those casualties back, and what we achieved as a crew, will stay with me for the rest of my life, I think."

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“One of the challenges that I’m really looking forward to is translating my knowledge and contacts about the international scene into something that frankly makes money,” he added.

Mr Hoon later “unreservedly apologised” for the comments, but he is now apparently making good on his prediction, becoming executive senior vice-president of AgustaWestland’s international business.

His new job has been cleared by the committee that vets business appointments of former ministers, and company insiders say Mr Hoon did not sign off any of its contracts at the Ministry of Defence.

After leaving the government in June 2009 and standing down as an MP in April 2010, Mr Hoon helped to set up an independent consultancy, TaylorHoon Strategy. One of his clients was AgustaWestland, a global design, development and manufacturer of helicopters, with its international headquarters in Farnborough.

During a political career stretching over 18 years, Mr Hoon was chief whip, transport secretary and leader of the Commons.

He was perhaps best known, however, as Tony Blair’s defence secretary, where over six years he oversaw preparations for wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, developing a network of contacts in the defence world.

Mr Hoon joined forces with his former cabinet colleague Patricia Hewitt to mount an unsuccessful coup against Gordon Brown.

He said: “I am delighted to have been asked to join one of the world’s leading technology and manufacturing companies.

“AgustaWestland’s helicopters are acknowledged to be the most advanced of their kind. I am joining an established and successful team which is part of a great workforce around the world.”

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I am joining an established and successful team which is part of a great workforce around the world.”

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Ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano is expected to reach Britain by tomorrow airlines have been warned.

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The beautiful but disrupting plume of ash from Iceland's Grimsvoetn volcano which has been ejected 12 miles high into the atmosphere

The ash could force the authorities to shut airports and close UK airspace, in a move which could disrupt many thousands of passengers almost exactly a year since a different Icelandic volcano closed airspace across Europe.

The latest warning is based on five-day weather forecasts but experts said the wind patterns were changeable and could yet sweep the cloud away from the UK.

Aviation authorities yesterday said no disruption was expected to European or transatlantic airspace over the next 24 hours.

However, if the eruption continues at the same rate and winds do not change, ash could reach northern Scotland by tomorrow and spread to England, France and even Spain by Thursday or Friday, forecasters said.

Grimsvoetn, Iceland’s most active volcano at the heart of its biggest glacier, began erupting late on Saturday, sending a plume of smoke and ash 12miles high.

So much ash was blasted into the sky that it blocked out the sun and covered nearby villages and farms.

By yesterday, the ash had reached the capital Reykjavik, nearly 250m to the west, and all the country’s airspace was closing down.

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AgustaWestland will take the wraps off its latest helicopter type on Monday, June 20 at 12:00 p.m. during the Paris Air Show.

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Bruno Spagnolini has become the new CEO of AgustaWestland taking over from Giuseppe Orsi who has became CEO of parent company Finmeccanica. Spagnolini was previously AW's COO.

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The first China International Helicopter Exposition, China's first professional expo on helicopters approved by the State Council, will be held in north China's port city of Tianjin from September 15 to 18 this year, organizing authorities said Wednesday in Beijing.

Li Peisheng, deputy secretary of Tianjin Municipal Government, said the helicopter exposition will focus on displaying the latest complete machines, engines, avionic systems and airborne equipments from home and abroad.
"Meanwhile, academic seminars, business negotiation meetings and aerobatics will be held as well," said Li.

The international helicopter expo will be jointly held by Tianjin Municipal Government, state-controlled Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and the Army Aviation Department under the General Staff Department of People's Liberation Army (PLA).

AVIC, together with prominent world aviation enterprises, such as France's Eurocopter and Safran, America's Goodrich, Honeywell, Sikorsky and German's ThyssenKrupp will take part in the exposition.

China International Helicopter Exposition is scheduled to be held every other year from 2011, as the complement of China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition held in south China's port city of Zhuhai.

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It has already demonstrated its power to keep millions of devoted viewers glued to their sofas. But it appears the influence of Downton Abbey extends well beyond the nation’s front rooms – even to the senior ranks of the Royal Air Force.

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No Chinooks please, we're trying to be British

The £1 million-an-episode ITV drama prides itself on the authenticity of its historical setting, at the start of the First World War in 1914. So filming for the new series faced costly delays when it was interrupted by the thoroughly modern racket of a squadron of twin-engine Chinook helicopters on manoeuvres.

Until, that is, senior executives were able to persuade the RAF to redirect its aircraft – training for deployment in Afghanistan – away from the show’s set at Highclere Castle in Berkshire.

The Sunday night drama, starring Hugh Bonneville and charting the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family, became ITV’s surprise hit of last year and returns for a second series in the autumn.

It is understood the aircraft noise problem first arose while shooting last year’s series. So when it forced filming to a halt again earlier this month, the show’s historical adviser Alastair Bruce took matters into his own hands. Mr Bruce, a lieutenant-colonel in the Territorial Army, called a senior RAF contact to ask them to practise their formations elsewhere. And such is the sway of the Bafta-nominated series, the RAF agreed.

A source on the set said: ‘Alastair put in an informal call to politely ask the RAF to move elsewhere.

‘It did the trick and that one phone call saved the production tens of thousands of pounds in potentially lost filming time. ‘Word spread pretty quickly and Alastair was very much the hero of the hour. Everyone on set was extremely grateful.’

A Downton Abbey spokesman refused to comment but another show source added: ‘Alastair making this call to the RAF became the talk of the set. He was very modest and insisted that it was something that anyone could have done.’

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The RAF have applied a self-enforced no-fly-zone over Highclere Castle at the request of Downton Abbey's producers

The helicopters were on manoeuvres from RAF Odiham in Hampshire – 25 miles from Highclere Castle, which doubles as the fictional Abbey – and just ten minutes’ flying time from the set.

The Ministry of Defence said last night: ‘Low-flying training is essential to develop and practise the tactics and techniques that are necessary for operations in Afghanistan. We do all we can to minimise disturbance.’

Since its debut, Downton Abbey – written by Oscar-winning scriptwriter Julian Fellowes – has been sold to more than 100 countries, including Australia and the US.

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Meanwhile more details have emerged about why the police operation to capture the gunman took so long. Local police said a boat they wanted to use to get to the island was too small and leaky to carry personnel and equipment, and they decided to wait for a special unit from Oslo. And asked why a helicopter was not used, police chief Sveinung Sponheim said this would have taken longer as the nearest police helicopter was at a base in the south.

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