Turkey may develop fighter aircraft with S Korea, Indonesia

[Babur Han]

Turkey may develop fighter aircraft with S Korea, Indonesia
Sunday, December 12, 2010
ÜMİT ENGİNSOY
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News



Keen to bolster the capabilities of its Air Force, Turkey is interested in developing a new fighter aircraft with South Korea and Indonesia, senior Turkish and South Korean officials have said.

"There have been some preliminary talks about our possible participation in the KF-X program," a senior Turkish procurement official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review over the weekend. "We are investigating the feasibility and possibilities of this program."

Maj. Gen. Choi Cha-kyu, director general of South Korea's aircraft program bureau at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said in September that Ankara was seriously considering taking part in the KF-X program.

"There will be a requirement [in Turkey] to replace the older fighters with newer ones by 2020," the daily Korea Times quoted Choi as saying at the time. "Once on board, Turkey is expected to bear the same amount of development costs as Indonesia."

The KF-X is a mainly South Korean program to develop an advanced multi-role fighter for the Air Forces of South Korea and Indonesia. It originally was launched in 2001, but then postponed because of financial and technological difficulties. The program will start again next year with the consent of budget authorities.

South Korea will provide 60 percent of the KF-X development costs worth some $4.2 billion, with the rest to come from other governments or corporate partners. About 120 KF-Xs would be built initially and more than 130 aircraft would be produced additionally after the first-phase models reach operational capability.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in mid-July, Indonesia agreed to pay 20 percent of the bill and to buy about 50 KF-X planes when mass production begins.

South Korea also is seeking to receive technology transfers from Western aerospace firms. One possible corporate partner is Sweden’s Saab.

Other options

Turkey already has selected the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II as its next-generation fighter aircraft type. It plans to buy about 100 F-35 aircraft worth nearly $15 billion. Many Turkish companies are members of the nine-nation Joint Strike Fighter consortium of nine Western nations, and are producing parts for the aircraft.

Lockheed Martin, the U.S. company leading the Joint Strike Fighter program, wants Turkey to increase the number of F-35 planes it plans to buy to 120 from 100. Turkey also will receive 30 F-16 Block 50 fighters from Lockheed as a stop-gap solution until F-35 deliveries begin around 2015.

But Turkish officials have said they are open to participating in one more future international fighter aircraft program.

Turkey also is facing pressure from Italy, a close defense partner, to buy the Eurofighter Typhoon, made by a European consortium including companies from Italy, Britain, Germany and Spain.

Giovanni Bertolone, executive vice president for operations at Finmeccanica, a top Italian industrial conglomerate, in early December called on Turkey to jointly produce the next phase of the Eurofighter. Finmeccanica is the parent company of Alenia Aeronautica, one of the makers of the Eurofighter.

Bertolone said the F-35 and the Eurofighter had different functions, and that Turkey could accommodate both fighters. The Eurofighter has been designed mainly as an air-to-air fighter while the F-35 is more suitable for air-to-ground missions.

In the event Turkey decides to buy the Eurofighter, these aircraft would replace the older U.S.-made F-4E Phantoms, recently modernized by Israel.

"We're encouraging Turkey to follow the examples of Britain and Italy, which will have both aircraft," Bertolone said. "Air-to-air fight capability is important, and we think this situation will gain prominence."

Many analysts believe that the planned South Korean-led KF-X also would be suitable for air-to-air fighting.

Turkey may develop fighter aircraft with S Korea, Indonesia - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

 

[graphican]

Why not pool in JFT and take it a step further??? Reinventing the wheel over and over again wouldn't help cross leap and miles. Build upon what is already dependable and take it higher.

But whatever way they decide, I wish our Brother Nation a very best of luck with whatever they do!

 

[graphican]

Respected Seniors,

what kind of relationship exist between Turkey and China or Turkey and Russia?

 

[Babur Han]

Why not pool in JFT and take it a step further??? Reinventing the wheel over and over again wouldn't help cross leap and miles. Build upon what is already dependable and take it higher.

But whatever way they decide, I wish our Brother Nation a very best of luck with whatever they do!

KF-X is for the Requirement of an Air Superiority Fighter to Replace F-16C/D Block50 in the next Decade. Turkey has allready shown interest for JFT, but in current Configuration JFT doens not fullfill TurAF Requirement. If TurAF will order JFT it must have:

- Stealth Capabillities
- stronger Engine
- higher Weapon Payload
- CFT for longer Range
- ASEA Radar(indigenous Development allready in Progress)

As far Today there is no JF-17 Variant available which fullfill TurAF Requirements.

 

[Jigs]

KF-X is for the Requirement of an Air Superiority Fighter to Replace F-16C/D Block50 in the next Decade. Turkey has allready shown interest for JFT, but in current Configuration JFT doens not fullfill TurAF Requirement. If TurAF will order JFT it must have:

- Stealth Capabillities
- stronger Engine
- higher Weapon Payload
- CFT for longer Range
- ASEA Radar(indigenous Development allready in Progress)

As far Today there is no JF-17 Variant available which fullfill TurAF Requirements.

KF-X would work well into our F-16 retirement. If we want to try to get in line with Europe in arms procurment. I really do hope we don't keep F-16s around like we did our F-4s and F-5s. Plus by 2020 we would probably need airframe updates to a good part of the fleet to even keep them going. So KF-X is perfect and i think a better deal then what the Eurofighter guys are offering us. Our South Korean friends offering us joint development is something we should take advantage of.

 

[misterme2]

India lost a great opportunity to cement relations with South Korea and jointly develop such an aircraft. Oh well, I wonder what was the logic of NOT engaging the Koreans?

 

[AMCA]

India lost a great opportunity to cement relations with South Korea and jointly develop such an aircraft. Oh well, I wonder what was the logic of NOT engaging the Koreans?

Come on Dont pull India in almost every irrelevant topic... India Knows How to pin Business with Diplomacy...

 

[Jigs]

India lost a great opportunity to cement relations with South Korea and jointly develop such an aircraft. Oh well, I wonder what was the logic of NOT engaging the Koreans?

Well we sent 15,000 troops to fight communist expansion into their land against the Chinese and North Koreans. Turkey has a very strong bond with South Korea since then. That has translated into countless defense and trade deals with them.

 

[jha]

India lost a great opportunity to cement relations with South Korea and jointly develop such an aircraft. Oh well, I wonder what was the logic of NOT engaging the Koreans?

We can not bind ourselves in every promising project..FGFA is more than enough..Anyways KF-X is supposed to be a Air-superiority fighter.. How many types of such aircrafts do we need..

And traditionally Turkey and SK have better relationships..We have just started..However in ship building i would love to see some collaborations..

 

[Aslan]

So the Koreans are going to develop the engines for the fighter as well or it will be the same story as that of the SAAB fighter where some country or other can pull the strings in case of a conflict.

Secondly me thinks its a good option for Pakistan to look at as well, but I wonder how the Chinese will react to this development if Pakistan tries to become a partner in the project.

 

[TrMhMt]

So the Koreans are going to develop the engines for the fighter

As far as i know, Turkiye is going to develop its own engine also !! TEI is developing ...

 

[ovarel]

kf-x will be a 4th gen. fighter,right?

 

[Aslan]

As far as i know, Turkiye is going to develop its own engine also !! TEI is developing ...

Thats good news, can u post some specs for that engine if u have any. Thanks.

 

[Jigs]

kf-x will be a 4th gen. fighter,right?

4.5th gen. It will be inline with EFT.

 

[Salman Rushdie]

India lost a great opportunity to cement relations with South Korea and jointly develop such an aircraft. Oh well, I wonder what was the logic of NOT engaging the Koreans?

Well Koreans could have been a part of AMCA but our Relationship is not so close that we share 5th Generation Fighter Technologies.

As for Turkey, they should jump into the KF-X Projext to gain experience.

America is never going to Transfer any technology to Turkey in JSF.

If Turkey desires to be independent and have its own MIP, It needs to develop a Fighter Jet on its own. We know how it is for a First Timer(LCA). Precisely, why the Indonesians did not give a Second Thought for joining in.

Turkey is slated to have a Trillion Dollar Economy by 2015 and the Indonesians by 2018. It has the Money to invest in.