Germany Offers Participation In IDAS To Turkey.

Germany has offered Turkey the opportunity to participate in the Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines (IDAS) missile project.

Germany Offers Participation In IDAS To Turkey.

Berlin's offer to Ankara was made during a meeting held between Major General Benedikt Zimmer, Director-General of Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support at the German Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Brigadier General Saban Umut, Deputy Head of Co-ordination and Technology, at the Turkish Ministry of Defence.

IDAS is a short-range missile intended to defend against anti-submarine aircraft, as well as offering a capability against small surface vessels and land targets. It is designed to be fired from a submerged submarine, with a four-pack of missiles able to fit within a single torpedo tube.

Maj Gen Zimmer also offered Turkey the opportunity to participate in an in-service support arrangement for the Airbus A400M transport aircraft with other participants in the programme. Turkey has so far received two A400Ms of the 10 it has ordered.

Roketsan signed in 2013 a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Diehl under which the Turkish company will develop warheads for IDAS in return for investing money in the project. Around 80% of the IDAS system development has already been developed by Germany's Diehl BGT Defence.

The German government will first approve the qualification of the IDAS programme before Turkey can also take part in the development of the missiles. The missiles are intended to be fitted into Turkey's new Type 214 submarines that the country is planning to co-produce with Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft and Marine Force International (HDW-MFI).

Turkey signed a EUR2.5 billion agreement with HDW-MFI in July 2009 for the co-production of six Type 214 air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines at the Gölcük naval shipyard in Turkey. At the time it was announced that Turkish industrial participation in the project would be worth around 80% of the total value of the deal.

However, as a result of ongoing political and technical reasons, the construction of the first submarine is scheduled to begin in 2016, with delivery to the Turkish Navy in 2020 or 2021. Earlier schedules were to begin building the first submarine in 2011 for delivery this year.

A spokesperson for the Turkish Undersecratariat for Defence Industries (SSM) stated: "SSM has to a great extent reached agreement on technical issues with the German company before the start of the construction of submarines." However they noted that "talks on few issues are continuing, as a result of which delivery of some material has [been] delayed. Once technical issues are resolved construction of the [first] submarine will start."

SSM indicated that the German company will be fined as a result of the delays based on timing and performance criteria within the contract.