US manufacturers have been cleared to bid to provide Turkey with more than 100 advanced attack helicopters. The US Government says that it is in the US national security interest to provide assistance to Turkey. In 1996, political controversy over US concerns that they would be used against Kurdish civilians scuttled Bell Helicopter's proposed sale of ten additional AH-1W SuperCobras to Turkey. Bids this time are expected from Bell, Boeing Sikorsky with the Comanche, Eurocopter (the Tiger), Agusta (the Mangusta), Russia's Mil (the Mi-28) and McDonnell Douglas (AH-64D Longbow Apache).
Source: Flight International
