Turkey Buys 20 Cougars From Eurocopter

By Giovanni de Briganti (Defence News Star Writer)

Paris - Turkey last week resumed its armed forces modernaztion plan wich the award of a $ 253 million contract to Paris-based Eurocopter for 20 Cougars utiliy helicopters.

The contract was signed in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct 8 by Yalcin Burcak, the Turkish undersecretary for the defence industrie and Eurocopter Chairman Jean-Francois Sigay

This is the first procurement contract awarded by Turkey since Prime Minister Tansun Ciller took office on Jone Ciller had decreed a freeze on new weapon buys to allow for an in-depth review of a planned 10-year modernization plan, and to decide whether the goverment could afford to complete all weapon acquistion plans.

The Cougar contract means the review has been completed and that other contract will follow, a European diplomat in Ankara said Oct 8. This is the first Eurocopter sale of military helicopters to Turkey since 1986
On four separate occasions, Eurocopter had lost awards to Sikorsky Aircarft, Startfort Conn., whose S-70 Black Hawk has been procured twice by Turkey's paramilitary police, and once each by its national police and the Turkish Army.

The decision to buy 20 Cougars for the Turkish Army was announced last winter by Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, who was rime minister at the time, to diversify suppliers of military helicopters.

The Turkish order comes on the heels of a Dutch decision to buy Eurocopter Cougars instead of Sikorsky Black Hawks. On Oct. 6, Dutch State Secretary for Defence Ton Frinking told Oarliamnet he had selected the improved Mk-2 version of the Cougar to meet a Dutch requirement for a utility helicopter.

The Netherlands will buy 17 Mk-2 Cougars for 419 million Dutch guilders ($ 229,4 million)

Eurocopter said in an Oct. 8 statemnet that the first two AS-532 UL Cougars will be delivered to Turkey in early 1995, and that deliveries will be completed by early 1996.