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Exclusive: U.S. considers unusual arms deal for Turkey
By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON | Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:55pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is consulting Congress
on an unusual proposal to transfer U.S. Marine Corps attack
helicopters to Turkey, U.S. officials said on Thursday, as Ankara
tries to exact revenge for a major attack by Kurdish separatists.
Turkey, a NATO ally, has been seeking AH-1 SuperCobra helicopters to
replace those lost in its long struggle against separatist rebels from
the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
Under the administration's plan, the Marines would get two new,
late-model Textron Inc Bell AH-1Z SuperCobras in exchange for the
three AH-1W aircraft that would be transferred to Ankara from current
inventory, a congressional official said.
The officials declined to be identified because of the matter's
sensitivity and because they were not authorized to speak on the
record. The idea to take weapons from the U.S. arsenal was rare, they
said.
The proposal has been held up amid lawmakers' questions about
increasingly distant relations between Muslim-majority Turkey and
Israel, a key U.S. ally, among other matters.
The AH-1W has sold previously for about $10 million. Turkey bought 10
of them in the 1990s. The larger, twin-engine AH-IZ may sell for about
$30 million, according to industry sources.
Under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, the executive branch must
provide 15 days' formal notice to Congress before going ahead with
significant arms transfers to a NATO partner. It was not immediately
clear when such notice might take place, with informal congressional
consultations continuing.
Turkey last week launched air and ground assaults on Kurdish militants
in northern Iraq, vowing to exact "great revenge" after 24 Turkish
troops were killed on October 19 in one of the deadliest Kurdish
attacks in years.
The PKK is designated a terrorist group by the United States. It is
waging a 27-year-old war from bases inside Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan
region. The administration's proposal to transfer the helicopters
pre-dates the October 19 attack on Turkish forces near the border with
Iraq.
The United States and Turkey have a strong tradition of military
cooperation, both bilaterally and inside the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
Turkey agreed last month to host a powerful U.S.-supplied radar system
to act as advanced eyes for a layered shield against ballistic
missiles coming from outside Europe.
The AN/TPY-2 surveillance radar in Turkey will boost the shield's
capability against Iran, which Washington alleges is seeking to build
nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON | Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:55pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is consulting Congress
on an unusual proposal to transfer U.S. Marine Corps attack
helicopters to Turkey, U.S. officials said on Thursday, as Ankara
tries to exact revenge for a major attack by Kurdish separatists.
Turkey, a NATO ally, has been seeking AH-1 SuperCobra helicopters to
replace those lost in its long struggle against separatist rebels from
the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
Under the administration's plan, the Marines would get two new,
late-model Textron Inc Bell AH-1Z SuperCobras in exchange for the
three AH-1W aircraft that would be transferred to Ankara from current
inventory, a congressional official said.
The officials declined to be identified because of the matter's
sensitivity and because they were not authorized to speak on the
record. The idea to take weapons from the U.S. arsenal was rare, they
said.
The proposal has been held up amid lawmakers' questions about
increasingly distant relations between Muslim-majority Turkey and
Israel, a key U.S. ally, among other matters.
The AH-1W has sold previously for about $10 million. Turkey bought 10
of them in the 1990s. The larger, twin-engine AH-IZ may sell for about
$30 million, according to industry sources.
Under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, the executive branch must
provide 15 days' formal notice to Congress before going ahead with
significant arms transfers to a NATO partner. It was not immediately
clear when such notice might take place, with informal congressional
consultations continuing.
Turkey last week launched air and ground assaults on Kurdish militants
in northern Iraq, vowing to exact "great revenge" after 24 Turkish
troops were killed on October 19 in one of the deadliest Kurdish
attacks in years.
The PKK is designated a terrorist group by the United States. It is
waging a 27-year-old war from bases inside Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan
region. The administration's proposal to transfer the helicopters
pre-dates the October 19 attack on Turkish forces near the border with
Iraq.
The United States and Turkey have a strong tradition of military
cooperation, both bilaterally and inside the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
Turkey agreed last month to host a powerful U.S.-supplied radar system
to act as advanced eyes for a layered shield against ballistic
missiles coming from outside Europe.
The AN/TPY-2 surveillance radar in Turkey will boost the shield's
capability against Iran, which Washington alleges is seeking to build
nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)