Israel-Turkey diplomatic war creates fails in turkish weapons modernisation

M60 turkish tank

An Israeli firm that was awarded a contract worth $687.5 in Turkey in 2002 for the modernization of 170 M60 tanks failed to finalize the project despite being paid regularly, the Bugün daily reported yesterday.

According to the daily’s report, the contract was awarded to Israel Military Industries (IMI) on March 29, 2002. Turkey was to pay $4 million for the modernization of each tank. Although Turkey made its payments regularly to IMI, the company failed to finalize the project on its final deadline, set for last October. The deadline for the delivery of the tanks had been changed several times before, the daily noted.

The tank upgrade deal signed with Turkey saved the Israeli firm from the verge of bankruptcy. It was revealed that the Israeli Finance Ministry had demanded the closure of IMI in 2001 on the grounds that this would relieve the state treasury. Turkey making such a big investment in the 1960 model M60 tanks spurred a debate as to whether such an investment was reasonable for the 1960 model tanks.

At the time the deal was signed with IMI, Turkey signed another deal named the “Modern Tank Project” with Ukraine for the new generation T-72 tanks, paying $3 million for each tank.

ASELSAN was ignored

While IMI was placed in a very advantageous position by being the sole owner of the upgrade project, a small share from the project was allocated to the domestic defense industry with ASELSAN, a leading Turkish defense company, getting only a $24.4 million part of the project. Defense experts note that if half of the money paid to IMI had been used in Turkey, the majority of the tanks in the military could have been modernized as the Turkish defense industry has the means to realize such a project.

While neither Turkish nor Israeli officials have given any information regarding the course of the project, there are two claims: one suggesting that 10 out of the 170 tanks have already been modernized and delivered to Turkey and the other that the prototype designs have not even been made.

One of the opponents of the tender, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy and a former general Erdal Sipahi said in an earlier interview that he was opposed to the tender being given to the Israeli firm because this firm had no experience in modernizing tanks.

“This tender was given to Israel on an order from above. If new tanks had been bought instead of upgrading old tanks, it would have been better. The modernized tanks have not yet been delivered. Even if they are delivered, I do not think they will be beneficial,” said Sipahi.

From the newspepper Today Szaman (Turkey)