2nd Eurofighter Tyhoon Customer Confirm
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http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/09/17/216840/saudi-arabia-signs-uk-deal-for-72-eurofighter-typhoons.html
DATE:17/09/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
Saudi Arabia signs UK deal for 72 Eurofighter Typhoons
By Graham Warwick
Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with the UK government covering the supply 72 Eurofighter Typhoons, worth a reported $8.8 billion.
The agreement marks the start of Project Salam, a new Saudi-UK defence cooperation programme that will include aircraft, training, support and development of Saudi industrial capabilities.
The Typhoons will replace Panavia Tornado ADV air-defence fighters supplied to the Saudis under the Al Yamamah arms pact that dates back to 1985.
BAE Systems welcomed the signing of the government-to-government agreement as an "important milestone" in its strategy to develop Saudi Arabia "as a key home market with substantial employment and investment in future in-Kingdom industrial capability".
It is believed the first 24 Typhoons will be produced in the UK, with the first aircraft already in final assembly at BAE's Warton plant, while the remaining 48 will be assembled in Saudi Arabia.
"Negotiations relating to the principal terms of the agreement have been successfully concluded and the signed agreement is expected to become effectiuve in due course," says BAE.
The aircraft acquisition will be supported by "substantial logistical and training packages", says the UK Ministry of Defence, "including the opportunity for Royal Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force aircrews and ground technicians to train alongside each other in the UK".
Saudi Tornado IDS strike aircraft completed their first joint exercise in the UK early in September, operating alongside RAF Tornados from Lossiemouth in Scotland. -
How good are the Saudi Airforce? They seem to be getting advanced and very expensive weapons from the West. But little is known about their standards.
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All i know is tat they have good equipments, F-15C, Tornado IDS, Tornado ADV, Hawk, E-3, AH-64A etc
Their army has M1A2, M2A2, M109A6, MRLS etc
They're rich, they can surely afford e trainning -
i am sure they get training and joint exercise with US. Given the amount of money they have i am sure they bought every thing expensive and state of the arts.Originally posted by tankee1981:How good are the Saudi Airforce? They seem to be getting advanced and very expensive weapons from the West. But little is known about their standards. -
How many prefer the Euro Typhoon over the F15SG?
I do. -
If I were to choose between Tranche 2 Typhoons and F-15SGs with added Israeli modifications, I'd still go for the Eagle.
Don't forget that the F-15SG is meant to replace the Skyhawk, which was basically a bomber/ground attack plane.
Now the F-15SG, properly equipped and suitably modified over and above the F-15I spec, may prove to be a very potent long-range bomber with more than a decent A2A role built in.
I'm not too sure how the Typhoon would fare as a deep-strike platform, although its BVR ability is damn good. -
Me 2
but i agree with LaserLordz, but wat i think e RSAF really need now is a capable BVR platform -
F-5 replacement i wld like to have Typhoon alsoOriginally posted by spartan6:Me 2 but i agree with LaserLordz, but wat i think e RSAF really need now is a capable BVR platform
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Actually i would prefer the Typhoons replacing the F-16 Cs and the F-35 replacing the F-16 Ds.
Reasoning is that the Cs are suppose to be the agile fighters and that's what the Typhoon is. The F-35 is supposedly a stealth medium load bombtruck vs F-15 heavy fighter bombtruck cause of the single engine.
For F-5 replacement i would still say SAAB Gripen!!! Smaller cheaper but still reliable. Our F-5s are more of a local air space defense. With the advantage of SAMs , ECMs and your warning systems screaming every moment, trying to find a small gripen in the sky is going to be hell. Most probably will put a Meteor up your backhole before you know it.
While diversifying our planes has good and bad points, if we get typhoon (beg beg) getting gripen (yes please) means they can share the same weapons Meteor, Stormshadow Asraam IRIS-T while JSF and the Eagle can share the US JDAM, JSOW, Amraam, Sidewinder X and *cough* non - us ones.
Not to mention it will also help in our pilot training in going against more types of aircraft and different weapon types/performance. -
I fear for the day when the House of Saud gets toppled by extremists...Originally posted by spartan6:All i know is tat they have good equipments, F-15C, Tornado IDS, Tornado ADV, Hawk, E-3, AH-64A etc
Their army has M1A2, M2A2, M109A6, MRLS etc
They're rich, they can surely afford e trainning -
BAe use underhand method to win this deal one. Get women for those Saudi King and pay them handsome corruption money.. LOL.. Eurofighter becomes a joke!
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Me too.Originally posted by Marco_Simone:I fear for the day when the House of Saud gets toppled by extremists...
Osama is Saudi and he's got tons of Saudi supporters.
Apparently, there is huge dissent with the Saud Royal Family. They terrorise the population with brutal tactics like cutting off hands, beheadings, stone to death etc. I saw gruesome video once. But this is often not reported by western press whom are more interested to attack China for jailing Falungong etc.
The Saud family is as bad as the Talibans. They make Iran look good.
All a matter of which devil should you support. -
Right now i am more worried about Pakistan nuke program.Originally posted by chino65:Me too.
Osama is Saudi and he's got tons of Saudi supporters.
Apparently, there is huge dissent with the Saud Royal Family. They terrorise the population with brutal tactics like cutting off hands, beheadings, stone to death etc. I saw gruesome video once. But this is often not reported by western press whom are more interested to attack China for jailing Falungong etc.
The Saud family is as bad as the Talibans. They make Iran look good.
All a matter of which devil should you support. -
i think at the end of the day the cost of buying and maintaining makes equally important decision with functionality. So never know until it is done deal.Originally posted by CM06:Actually i would prefer the Typhoons replacing the F-16 Cs and the F-35 replacing the F-16 Ds.
Reasoning is that the Cs are suppose to be the agile fighters and that's what the Typhoon is. The F-35 is supposedly a stealth medium load bombtruck vs F-15 heavy fighter bombtruck cause of the single engine.
For F-5 replacement i would still say SAAB Gripen!!! Smaller cheaper but still reliable. Our F-5s are more of a local air space defense. With the advantage of SAMs , ECMs and your warning systems screaming every moment, trying to find a small gripen in the sky is going to be hell. Most probably will put a Meteor up your backhole before you know it.
While diversifying our planes has good and bad points, if we get typhoon (beg beg) getting gripen (yes please) means they can share the same weapons Meteor, Stormshadow Asraam IRIS-T while JSF and the Eagle can share the US JDAM, JSOW, Amraam, Sidewinder X and *cough* non - us ones.
Not to mention it will also help in our pilot training in going against more types of aircraft and different weapon types/performance. -
the misconception foreuropean a/c is that they can only equip european weapon which is not true......they are NATO compatible thus there is no issue in regards to that......Originally posted by CM06:Actually i would prefer the Typhoons replacing the F-16 Cs and the F-35 replacing the F-16 Ds.
Reasoning is that the Cs are suppose to be the agile fighters and that's what the Typhoon is. The F-35 is supposedly a stealth medium load bombtruck vs F-15 heavy fighter bombtruck cause of the single engine.
For F-5 replacement i would still say SAAB Gripen!!! Smaller cheaper but still reliable. Our F-5s are more of a local air space defense. With the advantage of SAMs , ECMs and your warning systems screaming every moment, trying to find a small gripen in the sky is going to be hell. Most probably will put a Meteor up your backhole before you know it.
While diversifying our planes has good and bad points, if we get typhoon (beg beg) getting gripen (yes please) means they can share the same weapons Meteor, Stormshadow Asraam IRIS-T while JSF and the Eagle can share the US JDAM, JSOW, Amraam, Sidewinder X and *cough* non - us ones.
Not to mention it will also help in our pilot training in going against more types of aircraft and different weapon types/performance. -
Actually i do know that the weapons and weapon ssytems are rather interchangable.
What i was trying to put across is that with addition weapons from different weapons platform will increase the disadavantage against an enemy aircraft.
For example, an aircraft might be able to know (X radar emission belongs to to the targetting radar of say F-16s and can semi jam it) but it's unlikely that it will also have the same jamming capability on a european radar which uses a different band. Thus it will be less effective and can be shot down more easily.
But yes, costs from operating multiple platforms can be a headache. -
Ideally I'll like to see RSAF getting Typhoon, F15SG, Gripen & maybe F-35. But judging from the past, they don't seem to like rojak & prefer sticking to 2 or 3 jets. In fact, the top I believe had once mentioned that RSAF may 1 day just fly 2 jets i.e. F-35 and F15SG.
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I'm an airforce noob, coming from infantry.
Can somebody explain to me the roles of the different aircrafts in RSAF and the numbers of each types?
For example:
- how many F5 do we have and what are their roles?
- how many F16 do we have and what are their roles?
- how many F15 will we get and what are their roles?
Which will be the strike (ground attack) platform and which is the interceptor? Or are these terms outdated etc? -
Can you imagine if radical Islamists get hold of toys such as the Apache,Abrams and Eagle?Originally posted by chino65:Me too.
Osama is Saudi and he's got tons of Saudi supporters.
Apparently, there is huge dissent with the Saud Royal Family. They terrorise the population with brutal tactics like cutting off hands, beheadings, stone to death etc. I saw gruesome video once. But this is often not reported by western press whom are more interested to attack China for jailing Falungong etc.
The Saud family is as bad as the Talibans. They make Iran look good.
All a matter of which devil should you support. -
The thing about the 3 platforms u named is that they are all quite capable of doing both.Originally posted by chino65:I'm an airforce noob, coming from infantry.
Can somebody explain to me the roles of the different aircrafts in RSAF and the numbers of each types?
For example:
- how many F5 do we have and what are their roles?
- how many F16 do we have and what are their roles?
- how many F15 will we get and what are their roles?
Which will be the strike (ground attack) platform and which is the interceptor? Or are these terms outdated etc?
F-5s are reliable interceptors, as well as capable ground -attack aircraft. But not PGM capability.
F-15 and 16s are top of their class interceptors and fighters, as well as capable of ground attack and Strike.
The roles are not determined by aircraft type, but rather by squadron. Some squadrons train specifically for some roles. -
DATE:24/09/07
SOURCE:Flight International
Saudi Arabia to train first Typhoon pilots in the UK
By Craig Hoyle
Saudi Arabia is to train its first 22 pilots and initial engineers for the Eurofighter Typhoon alongside their Royal Air Force counterparts, following Riyadh's delayed signature of a 72-aircraft deal worth £4.4 billion ($8.8 billion).
In a clear sign of the strengthening relationship between the Saudi and UK governments and their respective armed forces, the formal launch of "Project Salam" followed almost 21 months of detailed negotiations, and an abandoned investigation by the UK Serious Fraud Office into earlier arms sales between the countries.
Announced via the official Saudi Press Agency on 17 September, six days after its signature, the new government-to-government deal covers the procurement of aircraft for "a similar price" to those Typhoons being produced for the RAF, according to the Saudi defence ministry. However, further armaments and support contracts are expected to boost the deal's value substantially over the aircraft's service life.
Riyadh's first 24 Typhoons will be drawn from the UK's deferred delivery of early Tranche 2 examples from BAE Systems' Warton assembly line in Lancashire, with the remainder to be completed at a new facility in Saudi Arabia. Initial training will take place at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, with the Royal Saudi Air Force eventually expected to receive six two-seat aircraft from the UK line from an eventual total of 18 trainers.
The UK Ministry of Defence says the sale "will support thousands of jobs in the UK and Saudi Arabia", while BAE - which has yet to receive its production contract from the UK government - adds that the deal also underlines its strategy "to continue to develop Saudi Arabia as a key home market".
BAE has supplied equipment including Hawk trainers and Panavia Tornado fighters to Saudi Arabia since the mid-1980s, with chief executive Mike Turner having previously valued this Al Yamamah business at more than £40 billion. The new sale also boosts export sales of the Eurofighter to 87, with Austria scheduled to receive its last of 15 interceptors by mid-2009.
Other recent signs of co-operation between the RAF and RSAF have included two bilateral exercises involving their Tornado forces since February 2006, while the UK service also recently sent a senior officer to Riyadh for the first time to serve as a liaison between the nations' air force chiefs.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/09/24/216935/saudi-arabia-to-train-first-typhoon-pilots-in-the-uk.html -
So who is getting paid? UK or EADS?
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To add on, equipment wise, the F-16D Blk 52+ and the soon-to-arrive F-15SGs are quite geared towards long-range deep strike and bombing roles as well.Originally posted by Shotgun:The thing about the 3 platforms u named is that they are all quite capable of doing both.
F-5s are reliable interceptors, as well as capable ground -attack aircraft. But not PGM capability.
F-15 and 16s are top of their class interceptors and fighters, as well as capable of ground attack and Strike.
The roles are not determined by aircraft type, but rather by squadron. Some squadrons train specifically for some roles. -
There is a book about such possible scenario by Patrick Robinson called Hunter Killer. I am currently reading it.Originally posted by Marco_Simone:I fear for the day when the House of Saud gets toppled by extremists... -
typhoon will be good .... was disappointed when mindef chose F15
For F35... should we get the STVOL? looks stylo and if it as capable as the one shown in movie Transformer