US deliver two AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter to Turkey

Turkey will obtain two AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters from the United States. Gonul said the U.S. Congress has endorsed the sale, and the helicopter gunships will be delivered to the Turkish Army by 2011. "We are forcing an earlier delivery ... ideally, this year," Gonul said. "The process for the delivery is working." The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) recently has stepped up its attacks against Turkish targets, forcing Turkish authorities to ponder better ways to fight. In less than two months, the PKK has killed more than 50 soldiers and civilians. The organization is classified by Turkey, the United States and the European Union as a terrorist entity. Last year, U.S. President Barack Obama's administration agreed in principle to sell a number of Super Cobras to Turkey to help the NATO ally, which has been suffering from a shortage of helicopter gunships. The Turkish Army currently operates six AH-1Ws and says it needs more in the short term, until it begins to receive new attack helicopters in 2014 or 2015. Turkey is jointly manufacturing those aircraft with AgustaWestland, an Italian-British company.