[Typhoon]

Though cost and politics were likely the deciding factors for this tender process, the news is very significant.

Firstly the recipient is a NATO member (this will be on the scale of Greece purchasing the S-300) and the sale represents China's first major arms deal with a first world power, indicative of the growing maturity and credibility of China as a arms dealer and manufacturer.

Chinese firm wins Turkey's missile defense system tender

ISTANBUL | Thu Sep 26, 2013 5:23pm EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey on Thursday chose a Chinese defense firm CPMIEC to co-produce a $4 billion long-range air and missile defense system, rejecting rival bids from Russian, U.S. and European firms.

The Turkish defense minister announced the decision in a statement.

Turkey, which is a member of the NATO military alliance, has no long-range missile defense system of its own, but NATO has deployed the U.S.-built Patriot air and missile defense system there since 2012.

The winning Chinese FD-2000 system beat out the U.S. Patriot, Russian S-400, and French-Italian Eurosam Samp-T to win the contract.

Raytheon Co (RTN.N), which builds the Patriot missile system, said it had been informed about the Turkish decision and hoped to get a briefing soon. It said there were 200 Patriot units deployed in 12 countries, including Turkey.

"NATO has long supported the system, deploying Patriot in five aligned countries and, in 2012, providing a requested Patriot deployment to Turkey. Given this strong performance, we hope to have an opportunity to debrief and learn more about this decision," Raytheon spokesman Mike Doble said.

Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz's statement also said a contract to produce six corvette ships by Koc Holding (KCHOL.IS), Turkey's biggest conglomerate, had been cancelled.

A contract to build two ships would be awarded to the Turkish naval shipyard. The construction of four remaining ships will be put out to tender later, Yilmaz said.

Koc Holding was recently accused of backing the 1997 military overthrow of Turkey's first Islamist-led government, sending the firm's shares tumbling on fears of a deepening vendetta against the country's secular business elite.

The Turkish government launched a probe into the taxes of Koc energy firms in July, weeks after criticizing one of the family's hotels for sheltering protesters during anti-government unrest that rocked several cities over the summer.

(Writing by Ece Toksabay; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington; Editing by David Evans and Paul Simao)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/ ... 9S20130926

The rest of NATO will not be happy.

[benpenguin]

Akuma: Chinese weapons are obselete Soviet shit! Japan is like, 8 generations ahead!
Oxy: Those are toys to US!
Igor: Hurray, China is going to rule the world you bitches!

[Istanbuller]

I am much more concerned about widespread corruption in both countries.

China didn't deserve to be awarded. We shouldn't trade with undemocratic countries like China, Russia

[ThirdTerm]

China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CPMIEC) is currently under US sanctions for violations of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act and the Chinese firm is suspected of supplying material and support to Iran's missile development. Turkey is gradually drifting away from NATO after the end of the Cold War and its military cooperation with China raised eyebrows in Washington but Turkey may have an urgent need to develop its own ballistic missiles to deal with the threats emanating from its unstable neighbours. Turkey is also reportedly constructing own launching pad to fire long-range missiles and satellites, aiming towards an indigenous space programme for which Turkey may find Chinese participation very valuable despite America's objection to such a plan.

Turkey approved CPMIEC’s lowest bid of about $3 billion amid questions over the Chinese system’s compatibility with NATO-owned early warning systems, Hurriyet Daily News reported today. Milliyet newspaper said yesterday that the project would cost around $4 billion. “Turkey has already been cooperating with China in production of short-range missiles and the latest decision underlines its eagerness to develop its own military technology,” Ozcan said. “Turkey clearly opted for a cheaper option while eliminating possible political snags over supplies and their use.” CPMIEC and its affiliates were banned in 2006 from doing business in the U.S. for allegedly selling missile technology to Iran, according to the U.S. State Department. A unit of the state-owned company “made nearly 300 illegal shipments to U.S. firms since a ban was imposed on CPMIEC and its affiliates,” according to an analysis of shipping records by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, a nonprofit proliferation watchdog, the Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 4, 2010.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-27/nato-member-turkey-turns-to-sanctioned-chinese-co-for-missiles.html