Alenia Aeronautica , a company fully owned by Finmeccanica, is the greatest italian industrial company in the field of aeronautics and is one of the partner companies of the Eurofighter consortium. Main activities comprise design and production of aerostructures for military and civil aircraft and - through Aeronavali, a wholly owned company - the overhaul, maintenance and modification of military and civil aircraft. Alenia is a partner of and cooperates with the major aerospace groups, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, EADS, Dassault and BAE Systems.

Alenia Aeronautica Turkey is the Liason Office of Alenia Aeronautica in Italy. It has been proceeding its facilities since 2004 in Ankara.

Through the year 2001, Undersecretariat For Defense Industries (SSM) carried out the tender for the acquisition of 10 (ten) Maritime Patrol Aircraft Platforms with Maritime Surveillance capability and integration of mission equipment to the platforms. Selected bidders were EADS CASA from Spain and CANADIAN COMMERCIAL CORPORATION FIELD AVIATION COMPANY Inc. from Canada. On 19 January 2005 the Defence Industry Executive Committee (DIEC) has decided to start MELTEM-3 contract negotiations with Alenia Aeronautica and relevant contract was signed on 20 July 2005. Total Contract Price is 218,6 million US Dolar and offset plus local content is in excess of 750 million US Dolar gross value. The main turkish industrial firms taking part in the Project and their respective work are as follows:

• TAI (STRUCTURAL WORK)

• HAVELSAN (SOFTWARE)

• ASELSAN (GLASS COCKPIT, FMS)

• KALEKALIP (MACHINING PARTS)

• AYDIN YAZILIM (HARNESS)

Alenia Aeronautica has the leadership for promoting the Eurofighter Aircraft in Turkey. In effect SSM released the RFI for the Turkish FCA (Future Combat Aircraft) and Alenia is proposing to consider Turkey as “the 5th partner” in the Eurofighter organization. The Eurofighter consortium, UK, Germany, Spain and Italy, wants to include Turkey in the program and officially communicated its proposal for a manufacturing cooperation to Turkey including technological transfer.