Procurement: October 3, 2000

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Turkey is imposing new trade regulations on defense contracts, demanding that companies which sell weapons to Turkey buy more Turkish products. Previous regulations were poorly understood and companies often avoided promises to buy Turkish products, or delayed promised investments in Turkish companies for a decade or more. Many companies have complained that the Turkish products they are forced to buy are substandard and have no market. The Turks, however, are major players in a shrinking arms market, with plans to buy $4 billion worth of attack helicopters, $7 billion worth of tanks, $1.5 billion worth of radar planes, $1 billion worth of patrol boats, and $3 billion worth of trucks.--Stephen V Cole