US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6481

UNCLAS ANKARA 006481 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, MASS, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKEY REMAINS COMMITTED TO JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER 
PROJECT 
 
REF: NOVEMBER 10 EDITION OF JANE'S DEFENSE WEEKLY 
 
1. Dr. Faruk Ozlu, Deputy Undersecretary of Turkey's national 
defense procurement agency (Savunma Sanayii Mustesarligi - 
SSM), in a November 12 discussion with PolMilCouns and Deputy 
PolMilCouns, dismissed press reports (including reftel) that 
Turkey was considering withdrawal from the Joint Strike 
Fighter (JSF) program due to unhappiness with Turkey's 
workshare.  According to Ozlu, Turkey was reviewing its 
current Air Force fleet, comprised of F-4 and F-16 jets, in 
anticipation of a potential procurement of up to 100 JSF 
planes, to determine how many F-4s and F-16s should be 
upgraded to meet Turkey's interim needs before the first JSF 
planes roll off the assembly line in 2015, and to finalize 
the number of JSFs it would need and the timing of their 
delivery.  (Comment: Current JSF SDD phase program planning 
calls for Turkish aircraft deliveries to start in 2013. 
Actual production deliveries will be determined when the JSF 
US/Turkish Bilateral production and sustainment MOU is 
negotiated and signed.  End Comment.)  Turkey had already 
signed an LOA with the US for an F-16 upgrade.  The 
government would like to upgrade some of its F-4 fleet but no 
decision had been made on whether to extend the current 
contract with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) or to seek new 
proposals.  Turkish Air Force Command (TAFC) favored 
extending the IAI contract while SSM was arguing that the 
additional work should be put out for competitive bids.  In 
the end, the government would decide, he said. 
 
2. (SBU) Ozlu said it would be difficult for Turkey to leave 
the JSF program at this point, but did acknowledge the 
government's unhappiness with its current JSF workshare. 
Compared to other countries, including Italy and the 
Netherlands, Ozlu recognized Turkish industry was at a 
disadvantage.  Nonetheless, he stated that Turkey considered 
its current JSF workshare to be the "weak point" in its 
participation.  Recognizing that a potential government 
expenditure of eight billion dollars on JSF planes would 
create difficulties for the government if the Turkish 
workshare was inadequate, SSM was working with Turkish firms 
to increase their competitiveness 
EDELMAN