Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. won part of a $3.5 billion contract to make helicopters for Turkey's military, beating out rival Agusta Westland of Italy. Sikorsky, the Stratford based subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., on Friday announced the 10-year deal with partner Turkish Aerospace Industry, which calls for 109 utility helicopters and might expand to as many as 600. The aircraft, based on the Black Hawk model, will be built in Turkey with American and Turkish parts. Sikorsky's share of the contract is expected to top $1 billion.

"For many years, Sikorsky Aircraft and Turkish industry have collaborated on aerostructures and dynamic component parts, so this contract would follow a long standing tradition of cooperation," said Jeffrey Pino, president of Sikorsky.

Sikorsky will operate through its 50 percent stake in Alp Aviation, a Turkish company, and intends to expand its capabilities to meet the demand for the contract.

Groupon Sehirfirsati.com is readying to celebrate its first birthday in the Turkish market. Having entered the Turkish market a year ago as the Turkey branch of the European group purchase network City Deal, later to be acquired by the US giant Groupon, the website presently has more than 2.5 million subscribed users has collaborated with almost 5,000 small and medium enterprises in Turkey

Having entered the Turkish market a year ago as the Turkey branch of the European group purchase network City Deal, Sehirfirsati.com, a translation of the original name, now a Groupon business, is ready to celebrate its first birthday in the Turkish market.

The online portal presently has more than 2.5 million subscribed users. It also has collaborated with almost 5,000 small and medium enterprises in Turkey and the total amount of saving the company helped its users to achieve so far is around 60 million Turkish Liras, according to company figures provided by the General Manager Emre Ekmekçi.

GiraSolar, a U.S.-Dutch solar company, has begun talks with a local energy firm to build Turkey’s first and Europe’s biggest photovoltaic power station while also manufacturing solar panels for export to Europe.

“We are planning to build Europe’s biggest solar plant in Turkey,” Chief Executive Officer Wieland M. Koornstra told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review during a Dutch business mission to Istanbul last week. The mission, which included representatives from 22 companies, was led by Henk Bleker, the Dutch minister for agriculture and foreign trade.

Noting the importance of Turkey in the world’s solar energy sector, Koornstra said GiraSolar had held talks with a Turkish energy giant on building a solar power station in the south of Turkey. He said the plant would generate 100 megawatts of energy.