Pakistan Army's T-129 ATAK Helicopter Deal | Updates & Discussions.

[johnny boy]

really a nice looking copter!!!any idea about how much it costs??per piece?/

 

[Kompromat]

Seems like PA have other plans:



Pakistan wants combat copters - Washington Times

We are currently looking for High End Platform for COIN ops which means that our needs are quite urgent this is why the Army is perusing Apache Longbow and Super Cobras for Attack role , Black Hawk and Chinook for Heavy Transport roles and some others like Little Bird for light attack role.

New Bells are in PA inventory and so are some Cobras already , since we are in a desperate need for these helos for our ops the T-129 ATAK is a little late on schedule as 59 Copters are the requirement of Turk Army which would be catered by the year 2016 which means Pakistan has plenty of Time to decide for this copter as it wont be operational before 2014.


I personally want to see ATAK in PA inventory as it will give us Home production option which we cant get with apache longbow or Super Cobra.

Regards:

 

[Super Falcon]

well we need apaches super cobras and atak preety fast

 

[ejaz007]

Turkey To Buy 9 European A129 Attack Helicopters
BY UMIT ENGINSOY And BURAK EGE BEKDIL
Published: 15 Jun 2010 19:00

ANKARA - Turkey will launch urgent talks to buy nine A129 Mangusta attack helicopters from the Italian-British manufacturer AgustaWestland to fight separatist Kurds operating in an area near the country's borders with Iraq and Iran, a key Turkish official announced late Tuesday.

Turkey plans on launching talks to buy nine A129 Mangusta attack helicopters from the Italian-British manufacturer AgustaWestland to fight separatist Kurds. (MIKE LEHMANN) "In an effort to meet the urgent needs of the Turkish Land Forces Command and as part of the ongoing attack helicopter program, negotiations for the procurement of an additional nine attack helicopters will be launched with TUSAS," Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told reporters after a meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, Turkey's highest decision-making body on procurement.

TUSAS is the Turkish name for the Turkish Aerospace Industries, the prime contractor in Ankara's program to jointly manufacture at least 50 attack helicopters with AgustaWestland. The nine helicopters will come in addition to the 50 choppers to be jointly manufactured. The additional nine gunships to be procured are A129 Mangustas, a senior procurement official said.

The Defense Industry Executive Committee's members include Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gonul, Gen. Ilker Basbug, chief of the General Staff, and Murad Bayar, head of Turkey's procurement agency. .

Bayar's office, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, and AgustaWestland signed a multibillion-dollar contract in 2008 for joint production of 50 T129s, a Turkish version of the A129.

The Kurdish separatist group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has killed scores of soldiers since it stepped up attacks on Turkish targets in the spring.

The Turkish Army operates six AH-1W Super Cobras and more than 20 earlier model Cobra helicopters, and military officials in recent years have voiced an urgent need for additional gunships to fight the PKK.

The T129s are expected to become operational by 2014. The latest announcement for additional gunships represents a stopgap solution until the first deliveries.

Turkey To Buy 9 European A129 Attack Helicopters - Defense News

 

[far_ahmad]

congrates to all muslims.milestone in the history of aviation specially muslims country.once again congrats.as US is not giving the latest heli's its matter of happiness.pakistan:

 

[sancho]

I personally want to see ATAK in PA inventory as it will give us Home production option which we cant get with apache longbow or Super Cobra.

Regards:

I have some doubts about that! Turkey may have the intellectual and sale rightes for this version, but it is still a version of the Agosta Westland 129 and includes also an US engine. If the US won't allow production in Pakistan for their own helicopters and parts, why should they do it for foreign competitior?
I think the WZ-10 would give more chances for such a licence production, maybe even upgraded with weapons, or avionics from Turkey.

 

[sancho]

really a nice looking copter!!!any idea about how much it costs??per piece?/

Surprise: Turkey favors Alenia in attack helicopter tender

Turkey on Thursday selected Italy's Agusta Westland's Mangusta A 129 model in its long-standing attack and tactical reconnaissance helicopter acquisition project, eliminating South African Denel's Rooivalk.

The most important reason for Mangusta's selection was the price differences with Denel, Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül said at the end of an around three-and-a-half-hour meeting of the Executive Committee of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), the top decision-making organ in Turkish arms procurement. The committee is composed of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister Gönül and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt. "The project [for attack helicopter acquisition] has been finalized after 12 years," said Gönül.

When asked, Gönül stated that the project cost for the production of 50 helicopters would be around $2.7 billion. TUSAS Aerospace Industries (TAI) will be the main contractor and Alenia will be sub-contractor in the project, Gönül added, noting that the project would be called T-129 from now on, marking a Turco-Italian joint partnership in developing the helicopters.

Though the minister did not reveal the figures, Denel reportedly offered slightly less than 50 percent of Alenia's bid for the production of the helicopters with a high local content. With earlier speculation that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) favored the US Apache or King Cobra for an off-the-shelf purchase, the SSM Executive Committee decision to select Italy's Alenia came as a surprise.

$2.7 billion for 50 helicopters means, $54 million each, but including licence production rights and so on, export price should be lower I would guess.

 

[TaimiKhan]

I have some doubts about that! Turkey may have the intellectual and sale rightes for this version, but it is still a version of the Agosta Westland 129 and includes also an US engine. If the US won't allow production in Pakistan for their own helicopters and parts, why should they do it for foreign competitior?
I think the WZ-10 would give more chances for such a licence production, maybe even upgraded with weapons, or avionics from Turkey.

For 40-50 helicopters, Pakistan would definitely not be looking at full home production, but it may look after producing some critical components which are needed regularly and are more critical sanctions prone. So that in case of any sanctions, we can produce them at home and not rely fully on abroad suppliers.

Some local production would be needed by Pakistan to offset some critical sanction prone things.

We can't digest such high tech at this stage of time, but we can become a supplier of critical parts for ourselves and also for the Turks if the platform has export success.

 

[farhan_9909]

i think till 2015 we would hav started our own attack heli program..

we dnt need wz-10 or Atak under TOT..

any one knw how much time it take to develop indegenous attack heli?

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------

when we can import engine frm china for our attack heli?

 

[IndianArmy]

i think till 2015 we would hav started our own attack heli program..

we dnt need wz-10 or Atak under TOT..

any one knw how much time it take to develop indegenous attack heli?

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------

when we can import engine frm china for our attack heli?

Has Pakistan made a plan for Attack Heli, I dint know that, could You give its specs please??? I would like to read it.

 

[mjnaushad]

Has Pakistan made a plan for Attack Heli, I dint know that, could You give its specs please??? I would like to read it.

He said till 2015 we'll start our own heli program not production

 

[farhan_9909]

Has Pakistan made a plan for Attack Heli, I dint know that, could You give its specs please??? I would like to read it.

No we will start our own i am sure.
bt nt before 2014-15

 

[IndianArmy]

He said till 2015 we'll start our own heli program not production

I see, That would be a good Idea, But There must be Huge expertise In this field to Make this a Reality, Hope Pakistan Makes several joint Ventures and Grasp the Knowledge as fast as Possible.. Good Luck

---------- Post added at 04:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:56 PM ----------

No we will start our own i am sure.
bt nt before 2014-15

Yeah I get it ,I get it

 

[sancho]

For 40-50 helicopters, Pakistan would definitely not be looking at full home production, but it may look after producing some critical components which are needed regularly and are more critical sanctions prone. So that in case of any sanctions, we can produce them at home and not rely fully on abroad suppliers.

Some local production would be needed by Pakistan to offset some critical sanction prone things.

We can't digest such high tech at this stage of time, but we can become a supplier of critical parts for ourselves and also for the Turks if the platform has export success.

True for avionics from Turkey maybe, but not critical engine parts from US right? And that's what I meant, if the aim would be to get a licence production, or a sanction prove solution, then the WZ-10 with avionics and weapons from Turkey would be the better choice.

 

[TaimiKhan]

True for avionics from Turkey maybe, but not critical engine parts from US right? And that's what I meant, if the aim would be to get a licence production, or a sanction prove solution, then the WZ-10 with avionics and weapons from Turkey would be the better choice.

Agreed, but i don't think engine parts would be that much of an issue, Pakistan had sorted out such issues before also, will try to do it again.

And as for avionics, well why not test the Chinese first, who knows they might have equal to or superior ones also. With what China is currently producing, it can be expected they are now a good avionics equipment with them.

But Turkish avionics & weapons with Chinese ones is also a good option, but China has also made the HJ-10 ATGM said to be equal in performance to Hell Fire and similarly we have started to see quiet few of their newer PGM missiles.

So a fully Chinese system is also an option, but lately a lot of indication from even internal sources have pointed out at ATAK option, Chinese one will be seen as a last resort i believe or if PA tests it, then it may win over the Turkish one.