President of Defence Industry Agency (SSB) Professor İsmail Demir stated that Turkiye’s only option for the EUROSAM SAMP/T Air Defence System is technology transfer. Professor Demir, who made a statement to Hürriyet daily, emphasized that Turkiye is not favouring off-the-shelve products and that technology transfer is mandatory.
Demir said, “We prepared a clear roadmap for SAMP-T in 2015. That process didn’t work. Let’s say a system in France and Italy would come to Turkiye and be set up. We stipulated it. Although they said ‘yes’ to this, it did not happen. It is converted to direct purchase. We are not there. If the other party comes and says, ‘let’s start, we will see the seriousness there.
We have a hard time explaining this. Turkiye will no longer pay and buy. We will accept the offer if there is a technology transfer.”
On January 5, 2018, the “Long Range Air and Missile Defence System (LORAMIDS) Identification Study” contract was signed between the Presidency of Defence Industries and ASELSAN, EUROSAM and Roketsan. The agreement aimed to jointly develop an Air Defence Missile System that meets the needs of Turkiye, France and Italy. In the meantime, France and Italy signed the contract for developing the Next Generation SAMP/T (SAMP/T NG) Air Defence Missile System in March 2021. The SAMP/T system, which is currently effective against air-breathing targets such as warplanes, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles, uses the Aster 30 Block I Missile.
