Thales has completed delivery of initial standard maritime patrol aircraft under the MELTEM II programe for Turkey, with four aircraft entering service between February and June 2012. Pierre Eric POMMELLET, Executive Chairman of Thales Systèmes Aéroportés, officially handed over the aircraft during a ceremony at the TUSAŞ Aerospace Industry (TAI) facility in Ankara attended by Yakup TAŞDELEN, Head Aircraft Division, Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, Major General Pierre LUSSEYRAN, DGA French Defence Procurement Agency, Özcan ERTEM, TAI Executive Vice President and Head of Aircraft Group, Colonel Faruk BAYTÜRK, Turkish Naval Forces, Air Platforms Maintenance Commander , Patrice MOYEURE, French Defence Attache to Turkey and the representatives from Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM), the Turkish Naval Command, the Turkish Coast Guard Command, the local contractors involved in the programe – TAI, ASELSAN, HAVELSAN and MİLSOFT – the French defence procurement agency (DGA) and the French embassy in Ankara.

Pierre Eric POMMELLET, Executive Chairman of Thales Systèmes Aéroportés delivered a speech in the ceremony. He emphasised: "The climate of confidence and dedication which drove Thales and its partners during the last couple of years and which made possible the delivery of a solution tailored to the operational need of our customer." Thales, SSM, DGA, Turkish Naval Command, Coast Guard Command TAI and other subcontractors became a good team and we together could manage and solve the problems in the programe arisen 2 years "POMMELLET added "Thales is now looking forward to delivering the next systems to the Navy and to the Coast Guard."