Despite relations strained to a near-breaking point, Turkey and Israel are about to conclude a business deal from 2004.
The Turkish daily Today’s Zaman reported that four remaining Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the ten that Turkey ordered from Israel are expected to be delivered in August. The Herons are manufactured by Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries.
According to Globes, Israel’s financial daily, the Turkish paper added that the first six Herons were delivered to Turkey in March 2010, after a delay of more than two years. Turkey signed the $180 million contract for ten Herons in 2004.
The Turkish Army is apparently deploying the Herons in its war against the Turkish Kurdish rebel group, PKK.
While the Turkish government is demanding an Israeli apology and financial compensation for the nine Turkish citizens killed during the violence that ensued when the Israel Navy intercepted the Gaza flotilla in May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel will not accede to these demands.
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