A recent article by Metin Gurcan on al-monitor.com notes that the outstanding conventional warfare feature of the Syrian conflict, my response would be the deep-strike capability demonstrated by US Tomahawk and Russian Kalibr-NK cruise missiles. The war in Syria demonstrated the importance of the deep-strike capability of cruise missiles, which are more accurate at long distances than the more risky and expensive warplane strikes.
Ankara has decided it urgently needs deep-strike capability to hit critical targets hundreds of miles from its borders. Officials realize armed factions affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (the PKK, which Turkey considers a terrorist group) will exist for years to come in Iraq and Syria. Long-range capability is a crucial component of Turkey’s strategy to confront threats beyond its frontier.
This strategy explains why engineers in Ankara are striving to construct a locally made turbojet engine. Turkey’s Defense Industries Research and Development Institute is doing engineering work for Ankara-based missile-maker Roketsan to manufacture an engine for the standoff missile (SOM) with a 300-kilometer (186-mile) range. The turbojet engine is similar to those for Gezgin and Atmaca missiles.
The SOM-A and SOM-B1 have been installed on Turkish air force and F-4 2020 jets since 2013, equipped with French-made TR-40 turbojet engines.
Then why is Turkey working so hard to construct a complete, locally made turbojet engine for the SOM: Since 1987, Turkey has been a party to the Missile Technology Control Regime, which restricts nuclear warhead platforms other than airplanes. The regime was created to control exports to curb the spread of unmanned delivery systems for nuclear weapons, specifically systems that could carry a minimum payload of some 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) a minimum of 300 kilometers.
Turkey wants to develop the SOM-B2 model to bypass production and export restrictions, and the SOM-J model, which can be mounted on F-35 warplanes with fully Turkish-made Kale turbojet engines. According to press reports last week, the “made in Turkey” turbojet engines will be ready in the second half of 2018.
Read full story here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Lfdder License: CC-BY-SA
Source: al-monitor.com
