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U.S., Turkey cooperate in the Caucuses to limit Russian influence

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, January 26, 2000

ANKARA -- The U.S. and Turkish militaries are cooperating in promoting pro-Western governments in the Caucuses an effort to ensure that they don't align with Russia.

The Turkish Daily News on Tuesday said the Turkish and U.S. militaries have established a working group for the former Soviet republics in the Caucuses. The newspaper said the group was established six months and reflected Ankara's concern that Washington was not sufficiently alert to the Russian threat to the region.

The Turkish effort included a recent visit by President Suleyman Demirel to the Georgian republic. Georgia has been trying to launch a foreign and domestic policy that is independent of Moscow.

A senior Turkish dipomat said Ankara's first goal is to ensure that Moscow stays out of the Caucuses. He said the next target will be to limit Russian influence in other areas of the region.

'The Turkish military's next step will be to keep Russia out of Central Asia, which is a buffer zone between Russia and the rest of the world," a military analyst told the Daily News.

In a related development, Turkey is pursuing a program to upgrade its U.S.-made helicopters. Rockwell Collins, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been awarded a $28 million contract to provide the avionics to upgrade 58 Black Hawk helicopters in the Turkish military. The upgrade includes a newly-designed cockpit for the helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.

Defense industry sources said Rockwell Collins and Sikorsky have developed a common architecture configuration applicable for a variety of helicopter platforms including the CH-53 and the S-92. The cockpit features four multifunction displays, dual fight management systems with integrated control of the flight director weather radar.

Rockwell executives said the cockpit can be equipped with forward looking infra-red that allows the pilot to operate through decreased visibility conditions and at night; and a moving digital map, displaying real-time aircraft position and surrounding information.

Turkey is also conducting a competition for the coproduction of 145 attack helicopters in an estimated $4 billion project. Bell Textron, Sikorsky and the Boeing Co. are among those bidding for the contract.

Wednesday, January 26, 2000


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