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3/6/2009: US Arms Manufacturer Makes Unprecedented Technology Transfer to Turkish Navy3/6/2009: US Arms Manufacturer Makes Unprecedented Technology Transfer to Turkish Navy (Balkanalysis.com Security & Intelligence Brief 28) The historic US-Turkish military cooperation has taken a new step. British military analyst Jane’s reported on March 3 that American giant Lockheed Martin has been awarded a US Navy contract to upgrade the Mk 92 fire-control system (FCS) on four of the Turkish Navy’s eight Gaziantep-class (Oliver Hazard Perry) frigates. “For the first time under a Foreign Military Sales contract,” Jane’s reports, “the company will provide solid-state continuous wave illumination (SSCWI) transmitters to a foreign navy, which will support the installation of the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) system and enhance the ships’ self-protection capability.” Turkey, which has maritime borders on the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, as well as the Sea of Marmara, sees Greece as its major regional military rival. The traditionally maritime-minded Greek forces have put extra emphasis in recent years on enhancing their naval capabilities. The Turkish countermeasures are just part of the same dynamic of one-upsmanship, but also indicate that, despite the Obama administration’s close ties to Greek-American lobbyists, the new administration plans to keep its special relationship with Turkey as well. |
