Dispute Over IP Leads Rolls-Royce To Curtail Efforts To Join TF-X Program

British aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce has scaled back its efforts to develop the engine for Turkey's indigenous fighter program, reports the Financial Times (U.K.).

Disputes over the sharing and ownership of intellectual property, as well as the involvement of the Qatari-Turkish company BMC, are the causes of the discord.

BMC's major shareholders include the Qatari Defense Ministry and Ethem Sancak, a businessman known to have links to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogen.

Senior...