US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1259

UNCLAS ANKARA 001259 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO EUR/SE AND NP/ECNP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPA, ETTC, PARM, PREL, MARR, MASS, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKISH UNDERSECRETARIAT FOR DEFENSE INDUSTRIES 
TAKES OVER SATELLITE COOPERATION PROGRAM 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 6205 
     B. STATE 225833 
     C. ANKARA 5005 
 
1. Deputy PolMilCouns followed up with Turkish Air Force 
(TUAF) Space Branch Satellite Systems Design Officer Captain 
Kocabicak regarding TUAF evaluation of the international 
responses to the Remote Sensing Satellite Questionnaire it 
had submitted to six countries in August 2004.  Per Captain 
Kocabicak's comments in November (Ref A), TUAF had expected 
to complete its evaluation of the responses by the end of the 
first quarter of 2005.  However, according to Kocabicak, TUAF 
has already completed its evaluation and, during the week of 
Feb. 27, held a meeting with the Turkish General Staff (TGS) 
and Savunma Sanayi Mustesarligi (SSM), the Undersecretariat 
for Defense Industries, to discuss the project and to hand 
responsibility for next steps over to SSM. 
 
2.  According to both Captain Kocabicak and SSM Electronic 
Systems Office Director Ahmet Lutfu Varoglu, TUAF has passed 
the questionnaire responses to TGS, which will review them, 
and pass them to SSM within several weeks for final 
evaluation.  According to Varoglu, if SSM determines that 
TUAF did not request adequate information in any particular 
area of interest, it may issue a Request for Information 
(RFI) by the end of March to gather the missing information. 
If, however, SSM considers the responses sufficient, it will 
assign a Turkish company to act as the prime contractor and 
will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) by mid-year for 
foreign companies to bid as subcontractors.  Neither SSM nor 
TUAF would provide any details on the project parameters of 
the proposed RFP. 
 
3.  SSM office director Varoglu expected to have a better 
sense of the required next steps at the end of March.  Post 
will follow up with SSM at that time. 
EDELMAN