£40bn Saudi fighter jet deal brings RAF shortage f

[Kaiser]

£40bn Saudi fighter jet deal brings RAF shortage fears


SAUDI Arabia plans to buy more than 200 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the UK in a deal worth up to £40bn including spares, maintenance and training over the next 20 years, The Herald has learned.

The deal has been confirmed by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's deputy prime minister and defence and aviation chief, although details will not be disclosed until next March.

The news follows the announcement this week that 24 of the second batch of Typhoons already on order for the RAF will be diverted to the Saudi air force from 2008.

RAF insiders fear that selling aircraft to offset the Ministry of Defence's contractual obligations to the Eurofighter consortium will not only reduce the number deployed in UK frontline squadrons, but will also produce a spares shortage when the Saudis are inevitably granted priority of supply.

Despite MoD denials, RAF Tornado jets were left unserviceable in the 1990s in similar circumstances as the Saudis bought more than 100 as a deterrent to Iraq and Iran and demanded first call on spares.

LINKS:www.***************/news/publish/article_004575.php

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/53408.html

 

[EagleEyes]

WoW this is really big classical buck deal. However, i would like to get the source for this so please Kaiser provide the source, as i want to see tha capablity of it.

It seems like Saudis now want to replace their fighters with truely latest class fighters out there. The competition will be between Rafale and Eurofighter. My guess is people will gavor Eurofighter as it supported by three countries rather than one, and it also has less price than Rafale because their unit production is going to be more than Rafale unless somebody really orders Rafale which i doubt.

I think PAF officials should really get into this deal. PAF will no doubt get the deal in the hand and approved if it has enough money.

 

[MOO]

40 billion for 200 planes is a bit to pricey for such a country like Saudi Arabia who needs to do more for its internal problems, society, jobs, economy etc


If it was I with 40 billion to spend I rather used the money on air-defense, S-400, Aster-30, Bulk-M1 etc. Building a stronger network for defense with upgraded Radar sights, AWAC's, and a more modern command and control system that could be link to other Gulf states so when a real war time scenario occurs than SA in that position could take the lead to command on the defense.


Btw with 10-12billion you can get a liscense to build Russian fighter planes for instance India MKI deal, it would generate jobs, improved SA knowledge in aviation and full access to elite technology and spare parts will always be available. An besides, the newly designated Su-35BM series has avionics that was said to be equal to the Typhoon so not to shabby eh.:bat:


I'll rather have 200-250 Mig-35s, with 3-D TVC, AESA for less the cost than 200 Typhoons for 40 B imo.

 

[sigatoka]

40 billion for 200 planes is a bit to pricey for such a country like Saudi Arabia who needs to do more for its internal problems, society, jobs, economy etc

40 billion for an overpriced underperforming jet, trust the Saudis to do something like this. They could have bought 200 Sukhois as well as the S-300 air defence system and 200 T-90's Tanks.

 

[Bull]

40 billion for an overpriced underperforming jet, trust the Saudis to do something like this. They could have bought 200 Sukhois as well as the S-300 air defence system and 200 T-90's Tanks.

The opputrunity cost is to much..but then as u say u can always truct them to come up with something like this.

 

[RAPTOR]

40 billion for an overpriced underperforming jet, trust the Saudis to do something like this. They could have bought 200 Sukhois as well as the S-300 air defence system and 200 T-90's Tanks.

Read the Full article, its $40 billion over the next 20 years. The Saudis can afford it . Can you prove that its an overpriced underperforming jet?
Also, its just a continuation of the AL-YAMANAH deal signed with U.K in the early 90's for the Tornados......whats the big deal? i dont get it.

 

[RAPTOR]

If it was I with 40 billion to spend I rather used the money on air-defense, S-400, Aster-30, Bulk-M1 etc. Building a stronger network for defense with upgraded Radar sights, AWAC's, and a more modern command and control system that could be link to other Gulf states so when a real war time scenario occurs than SA in that position could take the lead to command on the defense.

Why buy russian Crap when you can buy the best out there?

Saudi Arabia got 7 E3 sentrys in the 80's which were recently upgraded in the US.

Saudi Arabia has a modern Command and Control system in place, They have the King Khalid Military city deep in the eastern Desert which is the most modern such facility outside NATO.....and is in some instances more advanced than similar facilities in the US.

Saudis always buy the best out there! They are surrounded by erratic and dangerous countries, Israel, Iraq,Iran and an expansionist and hostile hindustan to the east of the Arabian sea......

 

[sigatoka]

Why buy russian Crap when you can buy the best out there?

Saudi Arabia got 7 E3 sentrys in the 80's which were recently upgraded in the US.

Saudi Arabia has a modern Command and Control system in place, They have the King Khalid Military city deep in the eastern Desert which is the most modern such facility outside NATO.....and is in some instances more advanced than similar facilities in the US.

Saudis always buy the best out there! They are surrounded by erratic and dangerous countries, Israel, Iraq,Iran and an expansionist and hostile hindustan to the east of the Arabian sea......

Saudi has an inferior military to Egypt and Israel and yet spends more than both combined. Raptor, you cant just explain that away. It is pathetic. If anyone thinks that India wastes a lot of its defence budget they should have a look at Saudi Arabia.

It is unbelievably bad, this deal. Does anyone apart from Raptor think it is a good deal????

Iran spends 4billion a year and maintains an equally capable if not better military than Saudi Arabia.

The amount that Saudi is spending on military and what they are getting, they would do better by scrapping their own military and asking Pakistan to provide 250,000 troops backed by tanks, artillery, aircraft and paying 8billion a year. At least they will get some Value for money.

 

[sword9]

What is the point of buying all this stuff if the saudis don't use them when required? As told by a saudi returned Sudanese to me...about the saudi reaction during Gulf war in 1991.
" When Saddam attack, only two things work in Kingdom...patriot and ex-patriot, no saudi". (Say it with an arabic accent).

 

[RAPTOR]

Saudi has an inferior military to Egypt and Israel and yet spends more than both combined. Raptor, you cant just explain that away. It is pathetic. If anyone thinks that India wastes a lot of its defence budget they should have a look at Saudi Arabia.

It is unbelievably bad, this deal. Does anyone apart from Raptor think it is a good deal????
.

Israeli forces = Superior to all but a handful of nations in the world.

Egypt = Flies Toothless F-16s and E-2s

Saudi Arabia = 120 plus F-15s, E-3 AWACS,Tornados,Soon to be inducted EuroFighters, Apaches,Abram Tanks,40 C-130E, KC-130 Refuelers, BlackHawks,F-5s and much more to come in the future..


Now read all this and give me a proper detailed answer.

 

[MOO]

The reasons why they tend to purchase in obsurd manners is because of political tensions. F15's, Torndoes, Abrams etc was purchase only to please the Western states and to obtain security and stability from those so called allies of theirs. Saudi military isnt built to wage wars against its neighbors, play an offensive role of anytime, but only to be done to protect the kingdom of SA, they could care less about their population.


If I was ruling Saudi Arabia I'll be in a hurry to obtain stronger air defense system, the Pac-2 won't cut it and only S-300/400 would be able to provide a full umbrella over the country from a potential Iranian-Israeli aggression or perhaps the US themselves. An oh lets not forget how good those Tor-M1 short range sam system, incoming cruise missiles, low-flying aerial drones or planes and Israeli Harpy drones are pretty much stoppable if they had these imho. in fact India got 400 T-90's for less than a billion, just imagine how many T-90's they could've purchased instead..


But with 40B to spend I'll rather build up a powerful Middile eastern navy that can compete with the best, 2-3 carriers armed with Rafale's, Kilo subs, UK Type-45 Destroyers, and build up more FT-3000 Frigates. If only they got their act together than surely it is possible for such to obtain, its not like they don't have full access the western technology. They could be the defenders of the Umah, anytime someone tries to mess with us no matter where in region in the world, a Saudi carrier fleet can be sent to wage such a war imo lol. :bat:

 

[RAPTOR]

Saudi Armed Forces = http://www.scramble.nl/sa.htm

 

[sigatoka]

Israeli forces = Superior to all but a handful of nations in the world.
Egypt = Flies Toothless F-16s and E-2s

One word, 19Billion U.S. dollars, thats what Saudis spent in 2005. Israel= 12billion and Egypt spent 4billion.

Egypt flies more modern planes than Saudi does, Saudis ground forces are weak and were not even able to stand up to Iraqs "crap Russsian" tanks without American Soldiers.

For Gods sake, thats as much as India spends and they dont even keep a nuclear arsenal, their conventional military forces fail to show where all the money has gone.

 

[RAPTOR]

The reasons why they tend to purchase in obsurd manners is because of political tensions. F15's, Torndoes, Abrams etc was purchase only to please the Western states and to obtain security and stability from those so called allies of theirs. Saudi military isnt built to wage wars against its neighbors, play an offensive role of anytime, but only to be done to protect the kingdom of SA, they could care less about their population.


If I was ruling Saudi Arabia I'll be in a hurry to obtain stronger air defense system, the Pac-2 won't cut it and only S-300/400 would be able to provide a full umbrella over the country from a potential Iranian-Israeli aggression or perhaps the US themselves. An oh lets not forget how good those Tor-M1 short range sam system, incoming cruise missiles, low-flying aerial drones or planes and Israeli Harpy drones are pretty much stoppable if they had these imho. in fact India got 400 T-90's for less than a billion, just imagine how many T-90's they could've purchased instead..


But with 40B to spend I'll rather build up a powerful Middile east navy that can compete with the best, 2-3 carriers armed with Rafale's, Kilo subs, UK Type-45 Destroyers, and build up more FT-3000 Frigates. If only they got their act together than they can surely hbe possible to obtain such a thing, its not like they don't have full access the western technology.:bat:

But its $40 billion over the next 20 years. And the Saudis have traditionally stuck to European and US arms. As i mentioned earlier, the Typhoon purchase is just a continuation of the AL-YAMANAH contract to replace their 143 Tornados.

 

[RAPTOR]

Egypt flies more modern planes than Saudi does, .

Could you repeat that?