TURKEY TO BUY ISRAELI DRONES

AZG DAILY
25-12-2009

International

Turkey has reached an agreement with Israel to purchase 10 Heron
drones from Israel and a deal would be announced within one or two
days, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) said on Tuesday, according
to thenews.com.

"We’ve reached agreement with procurement office. We expect to announce
an agreement within a few days," TAI Chief Executive Muharrem Dortkasli
told reporters.

Turkey and Israel signed a deal in 2005 for the supply of the unmanned
aircraft, worth $185 million. Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul
in July denied reports published in the Israeli media that the deal
would be cancelled due to the delay in the project.

According to the source, speculation about the project’s cancellation
had mounted amid escalating tensions between regional allies Israel
and Turkey, which had sharply criticised Israel’s Palestinian policies,
especially the Gaza offensive it launched in December 2009.