Pakistan to buy 30 Turkish attack helicopters

ANKARA

Turkey and Pakistan have inked a deal for the sale of 30 Turkish-made T129 ATAK helicopters, which is the largest single export in the history of Turkish defense industry.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the producer of T129 ATAK, successfully concluded negotiations with Pakistan Defense Production Ministry for the sale, Turkey’s Defense Industry Undersecretariat said in a statement on July 13.

This is the biggest single export in the history of the Turkish defense industry, read the statement, while not giving any financial details.

The deal is worth around $1.5 billion (1.14 billion pounds), sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on July 13.

The deal also includes support on logistics, spare parts, education and ammunition.

Designed in two types with close air support and multi-task mission features, T129 ATAK can undertake high-altitude missions with heavy artillery.

Equipped with at least 76 rockets for close air support and advanced electronic war armaments, ATAK uses “Mızrak” anti-tank missiles and laser-guided missile system called “Cirit” that have also been locally produced.

Turkey to sell Pakistan 30 #ATAK helicopters in a deal reportedly worth around $1.5 billion https://t.co/TUynZYF9VX pic.twitter.com/NjBdc9jUF7 — Hürriyet Daily News (@HDNER) 13 Temmuz 2018

Turkey has been lobbying to sell the T129 to Pakistan since 2014 to replace its aging AH-1F fleet.

Meanwhile, Turkey recently won a tender to procure four corvettes for the Pakistan Navy.

“A tender opened by the Pakistan Navy to supply four corvettes has just been concluded and Turkey has won the tender,” Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli told reporters during an official visit to Montenegro on July 5.

He did not give ny financial details about the agreement.

Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to produce four corvettes under the MİLGEM project in May 2017 for Pakistan.

Recalling that negotiations had continued for six months, Canikli also said the parties decided to build two of the corvettes in Istanbul Shipyard and other two in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi.