Thales Delivers Four Maritime Patrol Aircrafts to Turkey
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."
In his speech Major General Pierre LUSSEYRAN, DGA French Defence Procurement Agency pointed out that it is a happy milestone for a contract which has suffered many events, delays and difficulties. "Although all these problems are regretful, but problems are not uncommon for important programs, I want to underline that all the French actors, Thales and DGA, made their best efforts to overcome these difficulties." he said.
"DGA has analysed the process of development in order to define a way to give the Turkish Navy a quick and efficient tool to start the military missions, and we addressed this action as if it were a French program. Thus, in early 2009, the advice was given by DGA and accepted by SSM to split the Maritime Patrol Aircraft definition into two progressive standards. After the Contract Change # 10, the technical experts of Thales and DGA have been working hard to analyse the pieces of evidence, in order to conclude whether or not they were sufficient to grant the qualification of the design. I want to point out that MELTEM is placed in high priority by DGA, and some experts are asked to work on MELTEM before working on DGA subjects. The first result of this common job is the Maritime Patrol Aircraft-Initial Definition qualification: today, at last, we can see the first 4 aircrafts, ready to do their part of the mission of Turkish sovereignty." he added.
Mr Yakup TAŞDELEN, Head of Aircraft Department in SSM, said: "This delivery marks a true milestone in the development of our maritime patrol capability. The Turkish Navy can now rely on Thales state-of-the art solution to conduct their mission." He mentioned that the aircrafts with DGU configuration will be delivered to Coast Guard Command until the beginning of 2013.
Then, Colonel Faruk BAYTÜRK, Turkish Naval Forces, Air Platforms Maintenance Commander took the floor and stated that MELTEM 2 programe which is the most critical one among the other MELTEM programmes as it includes the integration of the mission systems and modernization of CN 235 platforms and the production of the mission systems to be integrated to the new platform in the scope of MELTEM 3 programe, have been successfully completed. "Hopefully next year, the acceptance activity of the first maritime patrol aircraft with 2 MK46 torpedoes integrated will have been started. We are looking forward to complete MPA Squadron consists of 6 MPA with torpedoes. We are sure that our fleet Command’s Naval Air efficiency and strength will have been increased with the existence of New MPA Squadron" he said.
Thales is prime contractor for the MELTEM II programe. This program, the contract of which became effective in September 2002, is a systems integration program, covering the acquisition of Maritime Patrol/Surveillance capability for the nine CN-235 platforms, produced at TAI’s facilities for the Turkish Naval Forces and Coast Guard Commands
The aircraft are based on modified CASA CN-235 platforms. The programe also includes the provision of 10 additional maritime patrol systems for integration on ATR 72 aircraft in service with the Turkish Navy. Seven of these have already been delivered to SSM. The 19 mission systems are based on Thales’s AMASCOS solution (Airborne Maritime Situation & Control System).
Within the framework of the program, design of electrical power distribution and management system PDMS as well as cabin equipments and lighting system of mission systems are realized by TAI. Moreover, our Company is also responsible for production of all required detail parts, harness bundles, tools and preparing technical documentation and training within the Integrated Logistic Support scope. Modification of serial A/C is also performed by TAI.
The four initial standard aircrafts underwent significant modifications to accommodate the mission system and have completed airworthiness qualification by the DGA in France. Turkish Navy pilots and aircrews have been trained with the new aircraft and mission systems and performed a series of test flights covering a range of operational mission profiles: surveillance, search and rescue, target designation, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare. On the basis of these test flights, the aircraft have been accepted into operational service.
The initial standard aircrafts provide the Turkish Navy with an operational maritime patrol capability. This success marks a major milestone in the MELTEM II programe and is a further endorsement of the high level of maturity of the AMASCOS solution. It consolidates Thales’s market leadership in maritime patrol systems and its positioning as a world-class systems supplier and integrator offering a wide range of mission systems to meet the specific requirements of forces around the world.
The aim of the MELTEM Project is to convert stock CN- 235 aircraft to a MPA/MSA configuration, and to deliver the associated ground segments. The project includes the development, integration and testing of six MPAs for the Turkish Navy and three MSAs for the Turkish Coast Guard. In addition, two Ground Control Sites for the MPA and three Ground Control Sites for the MSA are to be developed, integrated, installed and qualified. The project was launched in 2003 with signing of a contract between the SSM and Thales Airborne Systems, which is the main contractor in the MELTEM Programe. In the same year, HAVELSAN signed an agreement with Thales as the main local subcontractor. The Ground Support System, which is one of the two main subsystems of the project, has been developed by HAVELSAN; while for the other main subsystem, the Airborne Platform, the functional mission computer software has also been developed by HAVELSAN.
HAVELSAN is providing Tactical Command System (TCS), Tactical Command and Control Information System (TCCIS), Ground Control Station (training system included), System Integration Test Bench, Mission System Tools and Integrated Logistic Support to the programme.
The Tactical Command and Control Information System (TCCIS) for the ground segment software has been developed, integrated with hardware and delivered. The TCCIS includes mission preparation, monitoring replay, briefing and debriefing functions.
The Tactical Command System is mission computer software that will be integrated onto MPA and MSA aircraft, allowing a systematization and recording of data from different sensors for command and control operations, and the exchange of required data with the ground station.
