AIRSHOW-Eurofighter says Turkey deal to take at least 2 yrs

PARIS, June 17 (Reuters) - Eurofighter believes Turkey has a strategic need for its combat jets but expects an agreement to take at least two years, Chief Executive Enzo Casolini told Reuters at the Paris Air Show on Wednesday.
"We think Turkey is a country that's right for two platforms, like Italy and the UK have done. That is, JSF for ground attack and Eurofighter for air superiority," Casolini said, referring to the Lockheed Martin Corp-built (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
"We're not close to a deal yet, we are still working on it. I think that it will take at least a couple of years," Casolini said.
The chief executive added that Eurofighter was waiting for news from the government in Romania on a possible deal for 48 combat jets but said: "I don't know if this will happen before the presidential elections."
The Eurofighter contract was conceived 25 years ago and involves Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain building more than 600 high-peformance combat jets. The Eurofighter consortium comprises Britain's BAE Systems (BAES.L), Italy's Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI) and EADS (EAD.PA), representing Germany and Spain.