Pakistan should talk to Italy again ... AugustaWestland has good working relationship with PA and in the past they offered Mangusta 129 . Pakistan bought a good fleet of AW..
Agusta A129 Mangusta
I think Turkey knew from the beginning this deal won't go through ... they put lot of efforts but ....
Turkey Hires Washington Lobbyist to Help Clear Helicopter Sale to Pakistan
- Our Bureau
- 01:19 PM, August 19, 2020
- 6090
T-129 ATAK helicopter.
@turkish Aerospace Industries
Turkey has hired a Washington law firm to lobby with the US administration for securing an export licence which will help complete a $1.5 billion sale of ATAK helicopters to Pakistan.
“Concerned by the continued delay of the sale to Pakistan, previously unreported filings required by the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act show that Turkish Aerospace Industries-TAI (which manufactures the ATAK helicopter) hired US law firms, Greenberg Traurig LLP and its lobbying sub-contractor Capital Counsel LLC, to lobby the relevant congressional leaders and the White House to secure the requisite export licences,” Turkish media ahvalnews reported today.
The ATAK T-129 helicopter is powered by two T800-4A engines manufactured by LHTEC, a joint venture between the American firm Honeywell and the British company Rolls-Royce. The US is reportedly holding up export clearance for the LHTEC engine.
Following delay in delivering 30 ATAK helicopters, Ismail Demir, Undersecretary for Defence Industry of Turkey had stated on January 6, 2020, “Pakistan has agreed to give us another year (to deliver the helicopters). We hope we will be able to develop our indigenous engine soon to power the T129. After one year, Pakistan may be satisfied with the level of progress in our engine program, or the US may grant us the export license.”
LHTEC T-800 4a engine @RollsRoyce
In June this year, TAI revealed the prototype of a locally-made engine for the ATAK T-129 helicopter. The hiring of lobbyists is indicative that the new engine may not make it to Pakistan’s 1 year deadline which is only 5 months away.
In 2018, TAI signed a $1.5 billion agreement to sell a batch of 30 T129 choppers which is billed as Turkey’s single biggest arms export deal. Pakistan has kept an option of buying the Chinese Z-10 helo should the Turkish deal not materialize.
According to contract documents filed in the US, Greenberg Traurig and its subcontractor will be paid a monthly retainer of $25,000 “to conduct meetings with all relevant Committees in Congress, including meetings with the Chairmen, Ranking Members and the members of Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee to ensure United States legal and governmental compliance for the sale of helicopter parts for the T129 ATAK helicopter to the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps (PAAC) or to any other third party”.
Additionally, Greenberg Traurig has been hired by the Turkish government to provide general lobbying services worth $1.538 million in 2020 alone, to secure the export licence Turkish Aerospace needs from July 15 to November 15, with an option to extend for additional seven month periods. The initial period of the contract reflects the timing of the US presidential election, ahvalnews said.
Pakistan to buy Viper Helicopters From the US
The US Arms Export Control Act requires the White House to notify Congress of arms sales that exceed $25 million. The Notification allows members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFRC) an opportunity to scrutinize defense deals and put a hold on objectionable sales.
Last week, US publication Defensenews reported that SFRC and HFRC members have been holding up defense sales to Turkey including the F-35 sales, F-16 upgrade and the T-129 engine deals as punishment for Turkey buying the Russian S-400 air defence system. SFRC Chairman Jim Risch and HFRC ranking member Representative Mike McCaul told Defense News that they are participating in the informal hold.
Time will tell.
