New long-range missile study may strengthen Turkey’s ties with France, Italy
By: Pierre Tran
13 hours ago
09 Jan 2018
The terrain variant of the Aster 30 surface-to-air missile platform. (Michel Hans/MBDA)
PARIS — Eurosam and Turkish firms Aselsan and Roketsan have signed a contract with Turkey to study the possibility of producing a long-range missile.
“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,” MBDA and Thales said in a statement through their missile-based joint venture Eurosam.
Eurosam declined to comment on the value of the contract, signed Jan. 5 by Turkey’s procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Paris.
The contract for a definition study follows Turkey’s recent agreement with Russia for the
supply of S-400 missiles, a deal that
sparked concern among NATO partners.
The study will define Turkish requirements and architecture of the weapon system, which will be based on the Aster Block 1 New Technology missile and the accompanying future radar. If all goes well, the study will lead to a development and production contract for Turkey.
The study is expected to lead to cooperation between France, Italy and Turkey over a Turkish long-range air and missile defense program, with a weapon delivered around 2025, Eurosam said. The missile is intended to hit ballistic and cruise missiles, stealth aircraft, and UAVs.
The planned weapon is intended to meet the partner nations’ “basic operational needs” while guaranteeing Turkey “full employment autonomy” and “sovereign choice of integration within NATO,” the joint venture said. The work is expected to support Turkey’s domestic programs and open up export prospects among France, Italy and Turkey.
Turkey has long been seen as a potential partner for the Aster missile.
France and Italy are working on development of the MBDA Aster Block 1 NT missile, seeking to extend the range of the Aster 30 and its ability to hit incoming ballistic missiles and other threats.
The NT upgrade would allow the Aster 30 to hit enemy missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometers. The Block 1 model held by French and Italian forces can intercept incoming missiles with a range of 600 kilometers, such as the Scud B.
An upgraded version is on the road map for building an Aster Block 2, which would intercept weapons that have a range of 3,000 kilometers.
MBDA is a joint venture between Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Aselsan specializes in defense electronics, while Roketsan builds rockets and missiles.
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