Heavy lift chopper to be assigned to Turkey’s presidency

ISTANBUL

CH-47 Chinook helicopter. REUTERS Photo

One of five heavy lift choppers that will be ordered by Ankara will be allocated to the Turkish presidency, daily Cumhuriyet has reported.

The Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) decided in its latest meeting last week, convened under Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, to order five CH-47F Chinook helicopters, in addition to the six already ordered. While four of the new orders came from the Turkish General Staff, one came from the Defense Ministry, which is expected to allocate the chopper to the newly constructed presidential palace, dubbed the “Ak Saray” in reference to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and “saray,” which means palace.

The SSİK, which is described as “the main decision making mechanism of the system” on the website of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, is composed of the prime minister, the chief-of-staff, and the defense minister.

Produced by U.S. space and security company Boeing, the CH-47F Chinook aircraft is described as a “multi-mission, heavy-lift transport helicopter,” on its own website. The choppers’ primary mission is moving troops, artillery, ammunition, fuel, water, barrier materials, supplies and equipment on the battlefield, while its secondary missions include medical evacuation, disaster relief, search and rescue, aircraft recovery, firefighting, parachute drops, heavy construction and civil development.

Ankara had signed a contract worth nearly $400 million in 2011 with Boeing to buy six CH-47 Chinooks, which are expected to be delivered in 2016.