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-WE HAVE TALKS WITH DENEL & AGUSTAWESTLAND FOR ATAK PROJECT, GONUL

ANKARA - We have talks with South African DENEL and Italian AGUSTAWESTLAND companies for Turkish Land Forces Command's Tactical Reconnaissance & Attack Helicopter (ATAK) Project, said Turkish National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul following the meeting of Defense Industry Executive Committee which convened under chairmanship of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Friday.

Gonul noted that technical and financial negotiations with those two companies will be pursued synchronously. ''We aim to purchase 30 attack helicopters in the first phase and later we can buy 20 more,'' he added.

-ATAK PROJECT-

Four companies had offered bids for ATAK helicopter tender. EUROCOPTER (French, German & Spanish partnership) and Russian ROSOBORONEXPORT companies were eliminated.

AGUSTAWESTLAND proposes to establish joint production line and carry its factory to Turkey, and it is positive towards technology transfer.

DENEL is also positive about joint production with Turkey and technology transfer.

Friday, June 30, 2006