Persistent technical problems occurring in Israeli-made Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), partly because local Aselsan-made payloads have failed to meet the required standards, have raised questions over the degree of success of the relatively new trend to boost the local defense industry through Turkish development programs.

Turkey introduced a new policy in 2004 which emphasizes research and development (R&D) programs in the defense industry, to decrease Turkey's dependence on military products from foreign outlets from about 80 percent to 50 percent by 2011.In addition, foreign companies willing to transfer certain technologies to local industry while jointly building arms systems for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have increased their chances of winning Turkish arms acquisition tenders.Both Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and head of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM) Murad Bayar said on various occasions this year that Turkish dependence on military technologies abroad has been reduced to about 60 percent. However, that percentage remains hypothetical until the first military systems, manufactured as part of R&D and as part of development programs contracted to local companies and built jointly with their foreign counterparts, are successfully completed in 2015 and later.The first delivery of Turkish attack and reconnaissance helicopters, recently produced in cooperation with Italian AgustaWestland, and the first prototype of tanks, produced in cooperation between local Otokar and South Korea, are scheduled to be released in 2015.However, one of the first major developments by local military electronics company Aselsan, the electro-optical payload (Aselfir300T), did not fit onto Israel's Heron UAVs as the Aselsan payload was too heavy. The weight of the Aselfir300T prevented the Heron UAVs from reaching 30,000 feet with endurance of 24 hours, as agreed in the contract.Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elbit Systems have been working on strengthening the Heron engines to enable the Aselsan payloads to meet Turkish requirements.However, since the first two Heron UAVs were delivered to Turkey late November last year after an almost two-year-long delay, the UAVs are still not operational.Bayar said in May that Turkey has given Israel a deadline, due to expire by the end of July, to solve the problems occurring in Heron UAVs, indicating that it may cancel the project if the technical problems are not addressed by then.However, the problems have not yet been solved as July comes to an end. A local defense industry source told Today's Zaman that the first two Herons delivered in November of last year will be taken back to Israel for more tests after which improvements will be made. The delivery of 10 Heron UAVs are scheduled to be completed by December if the technical problems are resolved, said the same source.  Israeli delegation in Ankara To ease Turkish concerns, retired Gen. Udi Shani, head of the Foreign Defense Assistance and Defense Export Department of the Israeli Ministry of Defense (SIBAT), accompanied by a delegation from both IAI and Elbit, visited Turkey this past week where he spoke with Bayar as well as with generals at the Turkish Ministry of Defense.Bayar reportedly expressed to the Israeli delegation his unease over the delays and the Israeli companies' failure so far in strengthening the Heron engines to fit the Aselsan payload. However, Bayar did not talk about a possible cancellation of the project, Today's Zaman learned. This is mainly because of his concern that the cancellation would mean a partial defeat of his policy of local development programs.However, one Western defense industry source recalled that military development and R&D programs take many years to be completed and to be successful, and Bayar has mistakenly been pursuing a very ambitious timetable for the completion of these locally designed and developed military systems.Turkey has, meanwhile, turned down renewed Israeli offers to fit Heron UAVs with Israeli payloads instead of Aselsan payloads to enable the UAVs to become operational as quickly as possible. However, Heron UAVs, if not upgraded, cannot reach 30,000 feet and cannot stay in air for 24 hours. These conditions are required for the UAVs to operate successfully in Turkey's mountainous southeastern region where Turkish security forces have been fighting with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey, in the meantime, will continue using two Heron UAVs previously leased from Israel for another six months.Turkey signed a $183 million contract with Israel's IUP consortium (then Israeli Aircraft Industries and Elbit Systems) in 2005 for the delivery of 10 Heron UAVs.Paradoxically, Turkey, which eliminated US General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. due to its refusal to assume responsibility for the integration of Aselsan payloads on its UAVs, has now asked the US company to provide two Predator UAVs as a stop-gap measure to meet its urgent requirements in the fight against the PKK. 28 July 2009, TuesdayLALE SARIIBRAHIMOĞLU  ANKARA