Saudi Arabia to Buy 48 Typhoon Fighter Jets
A memorandum of intent was signed after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. The contract could see significant UK involvement in improving defense-manufacturing capabilities in the desert kingdom
Dr. Shaul Shay
| 11/03/2018
Saudi Arabia nears a deal to buy 48 Typhoon fighter jets. The preliminary agreement to move forward came at the end of a three-day visit to Britain by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A memorandum of intent on the deal was signed after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. Commercial negotiations between BAE Systems and the Saudis over the terms of the new deal are ongoing.
A deal could involve some assembly of the Typhoons in Saudi Arabia in support of the Vision 2030 economic reform program being implemented by the government in Riyadh, industry sources said. Increased Saudi industrial involvement in Typhoon was hinted at in a statement released by Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems' CEO.
The Saudis already operate 72 Typhoons from the first batch of jets ordered from BAE in 2007. The last jets from that order were delivered in the first half of 2017. The 2007 deal included an element of Typhoon assembly in Saudi Arabia, but that requirement was eventually ditched as being too ambitious.
The Typhoon has seen extensive operational use in the Middle East, having seen action during the 2011 intervention in Libya and, more recently, over Iraq and Syria. The Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force has used its Typhoons operationally in its long-running campaign in Yemen, and also as part of the multinational operation against the Islamic State.
BAE already undertakes subassembly of Hawk trainers in Saudi as part of a 2015 deal to equip the air force with 22 of these jets. Along with the large and lucrative support contracts for Typhoon, Hawk, and Tornado jets, the British company employs some 6,000 people in Saudi – the majority being locals.
Typhoon in the Gulf
Aside from the Saudi air force, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar have also ordered the Typhoon in the Gulf region.
Kuwait. Following the 2016 signature of the contract to supply 28 Eurofighter Typhoons to the State of Kuwait, Leonardo and the other Eurofighter partner companies have started the production with several new additions to the weapon system. The capability packages for Kuwait include the integration of Storm Shadow and Brimstone and other air-to-surface weapons. These features enriched multi-role characteristics of the aircraft.
Qatar. The British and Qatari governments have signed a £6 billion ($8 billion) agreement to supply Qatar with 24 Typhoon aircraft. British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and his Qatari counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah, oversaw the signing of the contract, building on the statement of intent signed in September 2017. The deal also includes an agreement with MBDA for Brimstone and Meteor missiles and Raytheon’s Paveway IV UK-manufactured weapon for the jets. The British Defense Secretary also agreed on a package of training and cooperation between the Air Forces which will see them working together more regularly, including Qatari pilots and ground-crew training in the UK.
Oman. The Sultanate of Oman announced its decision to purchase 12 Eurofighter Typhoon and eight Hawk aircraft in December 2012. The first Eurofighter Typhoon for the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) has been formally presented to the customer in a ceremony held at BAE Systems in the UK on May 15, 2017. The first pair of Typhoons for Oman (both two-seaters) departed Warton on their delivery flight on June 19, 2017. Oman received four additional Typhoons – three single-seaters and a dual-seater – by the end of 2017.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is the collaborative effort of four European nations: Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. This joint effort was formed as a way to breathe life into Europe's aerospace industry. The Typhoon is built by the Eurofighter consortium in which Airbus and Leonardo have a stake alongside BAE Systems. Nearly 15,000 people are employed in the Typhoon supply chain in Britain, with thousands more jobs supporting manufacturing in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Summary
Saudi Arabia is the largest Typhoon export customer, having received 72 aircraft. The Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force has used its Typhoons operationally in its campaign in Yemen, and one aircraft was lost on September 13, 2017, with its pilot, during a close air support mission against Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia ranked the world's fourth-largest military spender in 2017, hitting approximately US$63.7 billion. In 2017, the deputy crown prince and defense minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, launched his Vision 2030 reform scheme to boost jobs and revenue to prepare for a future with lower oil income. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced on May 17, 2017, the launch of a state-owned military-industrial company. Current, only two percent of the country's security and defense spending is local, but the government says it hopes to reach 50% by 2030.
Unlike previous UK-Saudi defense deals, the current Typhoon contract could see significant UK involvement in improving defense-manufacturing capabilities in the desert kingdom.
A memorandum of intent was signed after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. The contract could see significant UK involvement in improving defense-manufacturing capabilities in the desert kingdom
Saudi Arabia nears a deal to buy 48 Typhoon fighter jets. The preliminary agreement to move forward came at the end of a three-day visit to Britain by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A memorandum of intent on the deal was signed after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. Commercial negotiations between BAE Systems and the Saudis over the terms of the new deal are ongoing.
A deal could involve some assembly of the Typhoons in Saudi Arabia in support of the Vision 2030 economic reform program being implemented by the government in Riyadh, industry sources said. Increased Saudi industrial involvement in Typhoon was hinted at in a statement released by Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems' CEO.
The Saudis already operate 72 Typhoons from the first batch of jets ordered from BAE in 2007. The last jets from that order were delivered in the first half of 2017. The 2007 deal included an element of Typhoon assembly in Saudi Arabia, but that requirement was eventually ditched as being too ambitious.
The Typhoon has seen extensive operational use in the Middle East, having seen action during the 2011 intervention in Libya and, more recently, over Iraq and Syria. The Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force has used its Typhoons operationally in its long-running campaign in Yemen, and also as part of the multinational operation against the Islamic State.
BAE already undertakes subassembly of Hawk trainers in Saudi as part of a 2015 deal to equip the air force with 22 of these jets. Along with the large and lucrative support contracts for Typhoon, Hawk, and Tornado jets, the British company employs some 6,000 people in Saudi – the majority being locals.
Typhoon in the Gulf
Aside from the Saudi air force, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar have also ordered the Typhoon in the Gulf region.
Kuwait. Following the 2016 signature of the contract to supply 28 Eurofighter Typhoons to the State of Kuwait, Leonardo and the other Eurofighter partner companies have started the production with several new additions to the weapon system. The capability packages for Kuwait include the integration of Storm Shadow and Brimstone and other air-to-surface weapons. These features enriched multi-role characteristics of the aircraft.
Qatar. The British and Qatari governments have signed a £6 billion ($8 billion) agreement to supply Qatar with 24 Typhoon aircraft. British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and his Qatari counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah, oversaw the signing of the contract, building on the statement of intent signed in September 2017. The deal also includes an agreement with MBDA for Brimstone and Meteor missiles and Raytheon’s Paveway IV UK-manufactured weapon for the jets. The British Defense Secretary also agreed on a package of training and cooperation between the Air Forces which will see them working together more regularly, including Qatari pilots and ground-crew training in the UK.
Oman. The Sultanate of Oman announced its decision to purchase 12 Eurofighter Typhoon and eight Hawk aircraft in December 2012. The first Eurofighter Typhoon for the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) has been formally presented to the customer in a ceremony held at BAE Systems in the UK on May 15, 2017. The first pair of Typhoons for Oman (both two-seaters) departed Warton on their delivery flight on June 19, 2017. Oman received four additional Typhoons – three single-seaters and a dual-seater – by the end of 2017.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is the collaborative effort of four European nations: Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. This joint effort was formed as a way to breathe life into Europe's aerospace industry. The Typhoon is built by the Eurofighter consortium in which Airbus and Leonardo have a stake alongside BAE Systems. Nearly 15,000 people are employed in the Typhoon supply chain in Britain, with thousands more jobs supporting manufacturing in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Summary
Saudi Arabia is the largest Typhoon export customer, having received 72 aircraft. The Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force has used its Typhoons operationally in its campaign in Yemen, and one aircraft was lost on September 13, 2017, with its pilot, during a close air support mission against Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia ranked the world's fourth-largest military spender in 2017, hitting approximately US$63.7 billion. In 2017, the deputy crown prince and defense minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, launched his Vision 2030 reform scheme to boost jobs and revenue to prepare for a future with lower oil income. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced on May 17, 2017, the launch of a state-owned military-industrial company. Current, only two percent of the country's security and defense spending is local, but the government says it hopes to reach 50% by 2030.
Unlike previous UK-Saudi defense deals, the current Typhoon contract could see significant UK involvement in improving defense-manufacturing capabilities in the desert kingdom.
