Amid a deteriorating relationship between Ankara and Jerusalem, the long-delayed sale of Israeli Heron unmanned air vehicles to Turkey is finally getting underway.

The Heron acquisition saga illustrates better than many other projects how the once-important strategic relationship between the two states has unraveled. Program execution problems have merely compounded tensions.

Against that backdrop, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrived in Turkey Jan. 17, amid the worst political crisis between the former allies, in an effort to save at least some defense cooperation with Turkey.

“We are moving forward with the procurement of 10 Heron UAV systems,” said Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul after meeting with Barak. “Four systems will be delivered in March and the remaining six in November.”

The fact that the deal is now moving forward demonstrates that while relations have not been mended, both sides still see utility in defense industrial ties, even if not much more. “As long as we have the same interests, we work together to fix the common problems,” Defense Minister Gonul tells Aviation Week. “We are allies; we are strategic allies as long as our interests force us to be so.”

Signed in 2005, the $183-million contract to buy 10 Heron medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs has met with multiple obstacles since then.

Israel’s two major defense companies -- Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elbit Systems -- have teamed in a joint venture called Israeli UAV Partnership for this contract, but cooperation between the two historic competitors was not always smooth. Not only were they forced to match IAI’s aircraft to Elbit’s communications and ground stations, but they also had to fit Turkish Aselsan’s electro-optical payload (Aselflir 300T) to the system, a selection which caused a considerable delay in the program.

Initial deliveries were scheduled for 2007, but as Aselsan encountered hurdles in the development of the payload, the delivery of the first two Herons slipped to November 2008. Soon after they were delivered, a series of failures occurred in the Herons, preventing their deployment.

Then, Israel launched its major offensive in Gaza in December of that year, worsening relations with Turkey’s government, led by the Islamic party. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was insulted that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, with whom he had held a personal meeting just days before the Gaza operation began, did not inform him of the impending military action.

Ever since, Erdogan and his ministers have not shrunk from harsh criticism of Israel, accusing it of committing war crimes during the military campaign. Tensions blew up a year ago during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, when Erdogan stormed out of a panel discussion following a fierce confrontation with Israeli President Shimon Peres. In October, Turkey unexpectedly canceled Israeli participation in the Anatolian Eagle air exercise.

Meanwhile, Israel has been growing anxious about strengthening Turkish ties with Iran and Syria, countries Tel Aviv views as arch rivals.

Off the political stage, the parties were trying to move the Heron deal forward. IAI had upgraded the first two Heron systems in Israel in response to Turkish threats to cancel the order. This month, Turkey dispatched a delegation of industry and air force officers to examine the upgraded Herons in Israel.

But just as the programmatic turmoil had been resolved, the political spectacle flared up again. Israel’s deputy foreign minister publicly humiliated the Turkish ambassador to Israel, calling him in for a meeting and explaining to the media he deliberately sat the ambassador on a low chair to express Israel’s discontent with Turkish policy.

Although apologies were given, Barak’s visit to Ankara indicates that relations between the two countries are unlikely to ever return to the strong ties seen in the 1990s, when Turkey’s military had far greater influence over the country’s political agenda than it does today and Israel could use the strategic allies air space for exercises. Barak has made clear that Israel is no longer interested in Turkey serving as a mediator in Israeli-Syrian peace talks and a senior defense source tells Aviation Week that “clearly, the honeymoon with Turkey is over.”

But, despite the political distrust, Barak also discovered that Turkey is still interested in maintaining relations with Israel’s defense industries. As Israel Military Industries is completing a $700-million upgrade to 170 Turkish M60A3 tanks, the two countries are seeking new customers for the tank production line they established in Kayseri, Turkey. Gonul says Turkey and Israel are currently negotiating with two other countries on tank upgrade projects.

Photo: Israel Aerospace Industries