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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Ukrainian Tanks Shortlisted

21 September, 1999 - 00:00

On September 10, Ankara announced the short list of the participants in a tender Turkey is holding to find a foreign partner for the joint production of 1,500 tanks. Only five from the original eleven countries were shortlisted: the US, France, Germany, Ukraine, and Italy. Turkey's largest military project has been assessed at $4.5-5 billion.

The potential partners offer Turkey the production of tanks M1- A2 Abrams, Leclerc, Leopard-2, T-80UD, and Airet, respectively.

As ITAR-TASS reported, Russia does not participate in the tender because the requirements do not suit Moscow. The tanks should be powered with a 1,500 hp engine, according to NATO standards, while Russian tanks are equipped with about 1000 hp ones. In addition, the tender requires that the tank gun caliber be 120 mm., while Russian tanks are armed with 125 mm. guns.

The Ukrainian tanks fully comply with Turkish requirements, but, as usual, the final choice will depend not so much on tank capabilities as on political considerations. Ankara might recall the desire by our Parliament to provide last-ditch defense for the Kurdish leader Ocalan, or, for example, more and more active military and technical contacts with Greece, to which Kyiv also wants to sell tanks. And Kyiv has already sold Greece some landing craft that could be used in case of a new face-off in the Aegean Sea between Athens and Ankara.

Still it is not ruled out that Turkey will place additional conditions on the tender winner in the organization of joint production of tanks to invest more in its economy. Ankara is unlikely to do otherwise after the earthquake that recently shook the country.

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