Turkey To Renegotiate $3.4 Billion Chinese Missile Defense System Deal

Turkey may consider renegotiating a possible $3.4 billion HQ-9 long range air and anti-missile defense systems deal with China. Chinese media reports in March had said that a non-NATO system had won the Turkish T-LORAMIDS competition beating bids from Eurosam consortiums Aster 30 and Raytheon/Lockheed Martins Patriot. Due to protests from the United States and other NATO members, Turkey wavered on whether to purchase the Chinese missile system until February this year. Demir said Ankara changed its policy because other nations, the US included, also refused to transfer the technology the nation would need to operate the system. Though Raytheon of the US and MBDA of Europe have bid for the Turkish deal, both have refrained from making any commitment on transferring technology to Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Beijing and will discuss the issue. Chinese China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corp (CPMIEC) had won the bid in 2013 for the air defense competition. The contract is still to be signed. “China made an appropriate bid. We would certainly welcome a proposal that would 'enrich' the offer,” Erdogan told reporters Tuesday. China, like the US and Europe had declined to transfer technology as part of its bid to sell FD-2000 air defense system to Turkey in June. As a result Turkey may not be able to operate the FD-2000, the export version of the Chinese HQ-9 system effectively, Ismail Demir, head of Turkey's Under-secretariat for Defense Industries had said in June this year. He said that Turkey had not yet made a decision regarding the purchase of the Chinese air defense system, because Beijing has not yet agreed to transfer the weapon's technology to Istanbul.