ANKARA, September 24 (AVN) -- Turkey has announced the so-called short list of states tendering for a contract envisaging joint production of tanks for the Turksih armed forces.
Only five out of 11 competitors were included in the list. Ukraine will face tough competition from the United States, Germany, France and Italy. Each country presents its own tank: the United States goes for M1A2A Abrams, Germany for Leopard-2, France for Leclerc and Italy for Ariete.
However Ukraine is in the most advantageous position with its T-80T battle tank, a source in the Turkish Defence Ministry told the Military News Agency. It is ready to produce the whole lot of 1,000 to 1,500 tanks for only two billion U.S. dollars, while the other countries's demands range from 4,5 to five billion dollars.