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House Panel Approves Frigate, Minehunter Transfers to Turkey | ||
2007-10-27 | ||
Under the arrangement, the U.S. should transfer to Turkey two Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates and an Osprey-class coastal minehunter. Another coastal minehunter was offered to Turkey at the sale price of nearly $28 million. The two frigates, recently decommissioned by the U.S. Navy, are valued at about $125 million each, and the Osprey-class minehunters are worth about $130 million each, U.S. and Turkish military officials said. The bill now must be approved in a House floor vote and by the Senate before being signed by President George W. Bush. Under the same bill, the U.S. also is planning to grant two other Osprey-class minehunters to Lithuania and to sell another two to Taiwan. The Foreign Affairs CommitteeÂ’s chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), sponsored the bill. On the Senate side, the billÂ’s sponsor is Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Most of TurkeyÂ’s ships are German-built. The U.S., in an effort to boost its influence, over the past decade has been granting frigates to the Turkish navy, a move that also encourages TurkeyÂ’s purchase of Seahawks. Under the latest deal, Turkey stands to gain four ships, but it would have to pay for repair and refurbishment of the vessels before their formal deliveries. Such work would be performed at U.S. shipyards. | ||
Posted by:Steve White |
#2 I bet we are getting a sweet quid pro quo out of the deal. Plus, it gets old ships out of the inventory, not mothballing or scuttling, which makes it easier for the Navy to get new ships. |
Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-10-27 16:31 |
#1 These frigates specialize in surface combat, Gawd, okay. |
Posted by: Thomas Woof 2007-10-27 10:24 |