Turkey Contracts Eurosam, Aselsan and Roketsan to define its future unique Air and Missile Defense Systems

Turkey has awarded Eurosam, Aselsan and Roketsan a contract for the definition study of the future Turkish Long Range Air and Missile Defense System. The contract award was made during the meeting of President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Mr. Emmanuel Macron in Paris on 5th January 2018.

Scheduled to last 18 months, this definition study aims at preparing the development and production contract for the future system meeting the operational requirements of the Turkish Air Force. The contract was awarded by the SSM (the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries), which is responsible for acquisitions under the President of Republic of Turkey, jointly to Turkish companies Aselsan and Roketsan, and to the Franco-Italian consortium Eurosam; backed by its two shareholders MBDA and Thales.

The contract follows on from the Heads of Agreement signed by the Industry on 14 July 2017 and The Turkish, Italian and French defense ministers have signed a letter of intent (LOI) at the NATO ministers of Defense meetings held on 8th November in Brussels, at the NATO headquarters.

This study paves the way for the launch of a three-country joint Long Range Air and Missile Defense Program. The future system will be ready by the middle of the next decade with a state-of-the-art military capability designed to counter the most challenging threats (stealth aircraft, UAVs, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles). The system is expected to meet three countries’ basic operational needs and it will guarantee Turkey has full employment autonomy and will allow a sovereign choice of integration level within NATO. The joint development activity is expected to support Turkey’s unique air and missile development program in addition to opening up prospects for exports and longer-term co-operation of Turkey, Italy and France.

At the signing ceremony of this definition study contract, Abdoulaye Samba, Eurosam Managing Director, stated: “Eurosam has been fully dedicated to air and missile defense since its inception in 1989 and has acquired world-class expertise as well as a unique experience of co-operation in this strategic and eminently sovereign domain. Today, we are proud to provide this know-how to the co-operation between France and Italy with their Turkish ally within NATO. I am confident that this co-operation will also last several decades and will contribute to bringing our countries closer on a strategic level, as it has been the case for the last thirty years with France and Italy.”