Turkey stymied by problems with Israeli Heron UAVs

By ABDULLAH BOZKURT ANKARA

The difficulty in overcoming continuing problems with Israeli-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) being tested in Turkey is becoming a major concern for the Turkish air force, which is keen to acquire such technology for combating terrorism, a Turkish defense official has told.Frustrated with long delays and a never-ending run of difficulties encountered with the Herons, Turkish defense officials have turned to rival suppliers, hoping that the air force will get more reliable models tested to endure difficult intelligence and reconnaissance missions over tough terrain, particularly in Turkey's mountainous Southeast. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) officials reject claims about the failures in UAVs delivered to Turkey and vow to correct any problems encountered during testing. Speaking to Sunday's Zaman, senior IAI officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The current performances that have been observed in Turkey fully match the current engine configuration. As agreed, the contractual requirements will be fully met with the improved engine, and the delivered UAVs will be upgraded to the improved engine configuration.” The last in a series of mishaps was recorded when a Heron stopped responding to commands from ground operators in a military airfield near the southern city of Batman. “The UAV had gone missing for a while until the crew had to engage secondary control protocols to retrieve the drone,” one industry official who wished to remain anonymous told. Despite running problems in test flights, IAI officials insist the Herons are very reliable UAVs. “The Heron system, as well as other Israeli made UAV systems, have been tested and accepted by numerous customers worldwide, and have been operating intensively ever since, with full customer satisfaction,” they said. That does not seem to be good enough for concerned Turkish officials, however. “Adding insult to injury, officials from Israel Aerospace Industries and Israeli firm Elbit Systems, which both got awarded a $183 million contract in 2005 to supply 10 Herons, blamed the problems on Turkish contractor Aselsan,” the Turkish defense official complained. “This is simply not acceptable,” he said, stressing that IAI failed to deliver on its promises under the tender terms. IAI officials disagree, however, saying the Heron systems are tailored and customized for the Turkish military's needs, stressing, “Discrepancies will be fully rectified.” Israel delivered only two of 10 long-delayed UAVs to Turkey in November 2008 and the Turkish air force has been conducting tests flights since then to make sure the drones meet all the requirements and comply with the specifications of the contract. The delivery of the remaining eight systems has been delayed. In response to a parliamentary inquiry last year by İzmir deputy Erdal Sipahi, Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül said the delivery of the remaining Herons would be completed before June 2009. There have been numerous reports in both Turkish and Israeli media that the delivery of the Herons may be delayed or even cancelled because of strained relations between the two countries, especially after Israel's Gaza offensive and the Davos spat between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Israeli President Shimon Peres. IAI officials stress, however, there aren't any political considerations in the delay. “The first two UAVs have been delivered and there is a schedule for the remaining deliveries,” a senior executive from the company told.

'Israel worried about penalty clause'

Gökhan İnalhan, a professor of avionics and control systems at the faculty of aeronautics and astronautics at İstanbul Technical University, flatly rejects claims that the Herons' problems are caused by Turkish technicians. “All the fuss is centered around the penalty clause in the contract. The Israelis will be hit with hefty fines every time they delay the delivery of the UAVs and fail to fulfill the terms of the deal as agreed upon,” he emphasized. “IAI is simply looking for a way out of this contract without paying penalties to the Turkish side,” he added. According to reports published in the Turkish media, Israel claimed that the electro-optical payload (Aselfir300T) developed by Turkish defense company Aselsan prevents the Heron UAVs from reaching the desired altitude of 30,000 feet due to its weight of 120 kilograms. In test flights conducted in Turkey, the drone could not fly at altitudes above 21,000 feet, leaving it exposed to ground fire and limiting its reconnaissance ability. İnalhan does not believe that is the case, as IAI knew the weight of the optical payload when it signed the contract in 2005. Recalling that American company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, which manufactures Predator UAVs, withdrew from the tender because they could not successfully integrate Aselfir300T with the Predator, İnalhan said, “The Israeli side did not raise any objection to that requirement.” IAI officials maintain that the Heron system is capable of flying with a variety of payloads, including the domestically manufactured electro-optical one. “Performance is based on a multi-payload configuration, and the system that will be provided to the customer will incorporate an improved engine that will accommodate the increased payload weight,” they said, adding, “This Heron system, with its enhanced performance, is better than all existing Heron UAVs operating worldwide.” İnalhan also draws attention to the high bill Turkey is footing for these Herons. “We paid a lot of money for the contract, possibly over the market value, just for that condition clause we inserted in the contract,” he said. IAI, along with Elbit systems, is responsible for the installed performance and delivery of the Aselflir300T payloads developed by Aselsan. IAI officials do not accept claims that Turkey has paid more than the market value for these UAVs. “The Heron system ‘value for money' exceeds all its competitors by far, with its unique and proven capabilities, such as multi-payload operation, automatic take-off and landing, anti-icing system and superior performance,” said one senior IAI executive. Turkey's insistence on Aselsan's optical systems is not simply aimed at encouraging the domestic defense industry, a long-standing priority for the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), Turkey's military procurement agency. “It is also for the ease of our operators, who got used to the nuts and bolts of these systems for some time,” İnalhan emphasized. He also rejects allegations that local manufactured parts are not compatible with NATO standards. “All parts are tested and designed according to military standards commonly accepted in allied armies, including environmental impact studies,” he said. Because of delays in the delivery of the Herons, Turkey purchased three IAI-made tactical Aerostar UAVs. It also leased three Herons from Israel in 2007 for $10 million as a temporary solution until the purchased ones are delivered. It later purchased a Searcher tactical UAV to replace one Heron UAV that crashed in July 2007 on a mission in the Southeast. The Turkish air force still not cleared the two Herons delivered last year, citing failure to meet the specifications of the contract.

Turkey may cancel deal

Unless the complications are not corrected, the contract may risk cancellation, which is what happened in 2006, when Turkey annulled a 1999 agreement to award Elbit's Elop subsidiary to equip Turkish Air Force F-4E Phantom fighter jets with an Israeli pod-based, multisensor IMINT system for strategic and tactical targeting operations after running into difficulties. Senior IAI executives are keen to resolve any conflict, though. “The current performances that have been observed in Turkey fully match the current engine configuration. As agreed, the contractual requirements will be fully met with the improved engine, and the delivered UAVs will be upgraded to the improved engine configuration,” they stressed. The use of UAVs has expanded rapidly in recent years because of their effectiveness in intelligence gathering and combating terrorism, in addition to being a cheaper alternative to manned aircraft. It is estimated that more than 1,000 UAVs are operating over Iraq and Afghanistan. They come in different types, as well, from long-endurance high-flying ones to tactical hand-launched vehicles. Though the contract terms with Israel are not publicly disclosed, they reportedly included medium-altitude, long endurance (MALE) models.To address the military's need for UAVs, Turkey has also accelerated domestic programs to develop its own UAVs. Turkey was only able to manufacture short-endurance UAVs which have a flight time of 40-60 minutes. A project by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is currently under way to manufacture UAVs similar to Herons. The prototype, called TİHA, is expected to run in test flights in 2010 and to be delivered by 2011. İnalhan says the project is still in the early stages. Nurettin Akman, speaker of Parliament's National Defense Commission, told Sunday's Zaman that he has not received any information regarding the cancellation of Heron purchases yet. He noted, however, that SSM has sped up plans to manufacture domestic UAVs. Turkey may have also shifted its interest from Herons to US-made Predator UAVs, which can be configured into armed UAVs. In fact, last December Sunday's Zaman reported that the Turkish Land Forces Command made an official request to the SSM to launch a bid for at least one US General Atomics Aeronautical Systems-made Predator UAV. As part of terrorism cooperation between Turkey and the US against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization, one Predator UAV is currently at the disposal of the Turkish military and has been gathering intelligence on the activities of the PKK, mostly in northern Iraq.

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