Turkey signs long-delayed T-70 Black Hawk deal

"We signed the $3.5 billion agreement today," Erdogan said in televised remarks during the ceremony for the delivery by Boeing of Turkey's first airborne early warning and control aircraft. "This [Sikorsky deal] was an important signing ceremony for us."
In May, Turkey's procurement said that the country "had come very close to signing a $3.5 billion contract with Sikorsky Aircraft for the co-production of scores of utility helicopters." But penning the deal had since been delayed as top Turkish procurement management accused "US corporate and other bureaucracy" for factors that caused delays.
With the deal now done, a Turkish variant of the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter will be built under license by Turkish Aerospace Industries. (TAI) and will become the T-70. Sikorsky defeated ltalian-British AgustaWestland by bidding the Turkish version of the Black Hawk which is used by dozens of militaries, including Turkey,
AgustaWestland was competing with its TUHP 149, the Turkish version of its newly developed A-149.
The first batch will be for 109 utility helicopters, but with follow-on orders, more than 600 platforms could be built at a cost of more than $20 billion, defence analysts said.
Most helicopters in the first batch will go to the military, with the Gendarmerie receiving the largest portion, and the Army, Navy, Air Force and the special forces command each getting their share. The remaining machines will go to the Security Directorate, for the police forces, and to the Firefighting Department.