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Turkey
Cancels Spy Satellite Order
The Turkish Defense
Ministry canceled a contract to purchase a US$259 million
high-resolution Earth observation satellite from  Alcatel
Space in retaliation for the French parliament’s vote to condemn
the Turkish killings of Armenians in the early 1900s.
Following a press
conference held by Turkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu.
he said of the Alcatel satellite contract: "We have canceled
the tender, in which a preliminary contract has been signed with
French company Alcatel." Turkish government officials had been
threatening to retaliate commercially if the French parliament
approved a resolution labeling the Ottoman Empire’s treatment of
its Armenian minority as a genocide.
Turkey is
considering reopening the tender soon for the spy satellite project.
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) will likely be the new candidate to
supply Turkey with a spy satellite. Last summer, Alcatel had won  the
contract after a tough competition with IAI. Reports at that time
indicated that a preliminary deal for the satellite program had
actually been signed with Israel, for an Ofek series satellite that
would have cost Turkey around US$270 million, but Turkey made a last
minute change when France offered a lower price. IAI plans would
likely call for the satellite to be manufactured in Yehud, with
Elbit and Rafael joining the bid as subcontractors.
Israel
seems to be willing to sell spy satellites to other countries.
Reports about negotiations with Singapore have appeared in the
Singapore and Malaysian press.
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