Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has said his country may soon acquire the T-129 attack helicopter and Hurkus turboprop trainer from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
He is reported to have toured the TAI production facilities in early January and was briefed on the possible sale of the two aircraft.
Turkey has been developing the T-129A helicopter in partnership with British-Italian aircraft manufacturer AugustaWestland.
However, according to DefenseWeb, the Turkish company is required to seek US permission to export the US-made LHTEC CTS800-4N engine which powers the T-129 before concluding any sales agreement with Libya.
Zeidan also expressed interest in acquiring the indigenously developed Hurkus-C basic trainer and close air support aircraft.
Addressing Turkish media during a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Zeidan said the two countries have reached ‘preliminary consensus’ on the purchase of 20,000 military uniforms and 20,000 assorted weapons. He also expressed interest in buying Turkish-made patrol boats for the Libyan coastguard. IHS Janes reports that Libya is interested in the purchase of Arma and Cobra armoured vehicle’s from Turkey’s Otokar.
(Source: DefenceWeb)
