The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia possesses colossal reserves of hydrocarbons and is consistently among the exporting countries that determine world oil prices. Proven oil reserves amount to 260 billion barrels (24% of the proven oil reserves on Earth).
Oil exports are the source of wealth and prosperity for the state. It forms 75% of the country's income. Consistently high revenues from oil exports to the budget made it possible to carry out a number of social reforms in the country and create a modern infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy ruled by the sons and grandsons of the first king, Abdel Aziz. The laws in the kingdom are based on Islamic law, the power of King Abdullah ibn Abdel Aziz al-Saud of the Saudi dynasty is limited only by Sharia law.
Members of the royal family hold key leadership positions in the military and security forces. More than 220,000 people serve in the ranks of the armed forces of the kingdom, all of them are contract soldiers. Citizens of other states are also involved in military service - mainly instructors and technical specialists.
Saudi Arabia is among the top ten countries in terms of funding for the armed forces, currently defense spending exceeds 10% of GDP - about $ 50 billion. For comparison, Russia's military spending in 2013 amounted to $ 69 billion.
Huge financial resources make it possible to purchase in large quantities the most modern weapons and equipment of Western production. The Air Force has about 300 combat aircraft (13 squadrons) and 80 helicopters (some of the combat vehicles are in storage).
The kingdom has a developed airfield network that includes 15 military airfields, including five main air force bases (each headed by a brigadier general reporting directly to the air force commander). The main air bases have a developed airfield infrastructure that meets the highest modern requirements; capital highly protected concrete shelters have been built for all existing combat aircraft.
The Air Force and Air Defense of Saudi Arabia are the most dynamically developing branches of the armed forces. The country's leadership views them as the main striking and deterrent force and has set an ambitious task for them - to become the most powerful in the Middle East.
The backbone of the Saudi Air Force is made up of American-made F-15 Eagle heavy fighters of various modifications. F-15 aircraft have been delivered since the early 80s. Then the Saudi Arabian Air Force received 84 such fighters.
Saudi fighter F-15 "Eagle"
In 1996-1998, an additional 72 aircraft of the F-15S modification were delivered. This machine is a somewhat simplified version of the strike F-15E, compared to the original version, the Saudi fighters were equipped with radar and electronic warfare systems corresponding to the F-15C / D. 48 aircraft were optimized for strikes against ground targets, the remaining 24 were supposed to be used as interceptors.
In December 2011, an additional batch of 84 fighters of the F-15SA modification was ordered for $ 11.4 billion. In April 2012, a contract was signed to upgrade the existing F-15S Strike Eagle aircraft to the F-15SA version for a total of $ 410.6 million. As a result of this deal, the Saudi kingdom became the second largest F-15 operator after the United States.
Today, the Saudi F-15SA fighters are the most advanced fighters in the F-15 family. They are equipped with GE F110-GE-129 engines, additional weapon systems, electronic warfare and countermeasures systems, glass cockpits, infrared detection and tracking systems and radar stations with an active phased antenna array.
Another type of modern military aircraft purchased in Europe is the Typhoon fighter produced by the consortium Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems and EADS. The Saudi Air Force has 32 aircraft of this type.
Saudi fighter "Typhoon"
Saudi Arabia has signed an additional contract worth 4.43 billion pounds for the supply of 72 more aircraft. As part of the contract, it is planned to organize a licensed assembly of Eurofighters in the kingdom. Typhoons are to replace the obsolete American F-5E / F light fighters currently in storage or in use for training purposes.
F-5F Tiger II fighter of the Saudi Air Force
The Royal Air Force also operates Panavia Tornado combat aircraft in interceptor versions - Tornado ADV (F3) - 15 pcs and fighter-bomber - Tornado IDS (GR1) - 82 pcs. Deliveries were carried out from 1989 to 1998.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Tornado aircraft at Tabuk airfield
Some of the machines, due to the development of the resource, are decommissioned and stored. As part of the current modernization program, it is planned to equip the Tornado shock with more modern electronic means and weapons.
Saudi fighter-interceptor Tornado F3
It is assumed that the next 10-15 years, these aircraft will remain in service. The remaining airborne Tornado F3 interceptors were returned to Great Britain as partial payment for the delivered Typhoon fighters
The fleet of trainer aircraft (TCB) includes about 100 machines, brought together in seven squadrons (Hawk Mk 65, PC-9, Cessna 172, Super Mushshak). The existing 40 jet trainer "Hawk" Mk 65 / Mk 65A can be used as light attack aircraft.
Saudi TCB "Hawk"
The Hawks are flown by the pilots of the Saudi Hawks aerobatic team based at King Faisal Air Base (Tabuk).
The presence of E-3A AWACS AWACS aircraft in the Saudi Arabian Air Force brings them to a higher quality level. The first Saudi E-3 was delivered in June 1986, deliveries of the remaining four E-3 were completed by September 1987.
Saudi E-3A AWACS
Not a single country in this region has AWACS aircraft of this class in its air force. Until 2002, the Israeli Air Force had "flying radars" E-2C "Hawkeye" which, in their capabilities, were significantly inferior to AWACS aircraft. Another potential enemy of the Saudis, Shiite Iran, formally owns two AWACS aircraft based on the Il-76, but their performance is questionable.
Satellite image of Google Earth: AWACS E-3A AWACS aircraft at the Prince Sultan Air Base
In 2012, Boeing received a contract worth $ 66.814 million for the modernization of communications and the installation of new radar systems on E-3 AWACS aircraft of the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force.
The core of the military transport aviation is more than 40 American military-technical cooperation C-130 Hercules of various modifications, including 7 KC-130H tankers.
C-130 Saudi Arabian Air Force (Royal Air Wing)
In 2012, Saudi Arabia additionally purchased from the United States 20 HC-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft and 5 KC-130J tanker aircraft for an amount of $ 6.7 billion. There are also two dozen more transport workers: CN-235, Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, MD-11, Jetstream 31. Air refueling of combat aircraft is provided by 6 Boeing KE-3A. The Air Force includes the Royal Air Wing - 16 aircraft (Cessna 310 and Boeing 747 SP, CN-235M, Boeing 737-200, VAe 125-800, VC-130H).
Helicopter aviation numbers 78 units (AN-64A, Bell 406 CS, AV-212, AV-206, SH-3). In the United States ordered 70 attack helicopters of the latest modification AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III, 72 transport helicopters UH-60M Black Hawk, 36 light reconnaissance AH-6i Little Bird and 12 training helicopters MD-530F.
Air Defense Forces are an independent branch of the kingdom's armed forces. They consist of anti-aircraft missile forces, anti-aircraft artillery and RTV units. The air defense is operatively subordinate to fighter-interceptors from the Air Force. Organizationally, the air defense forces were consolidated into six air defense districts. These troops are entrusted with the task of covering important administrative, economic and military facilities: the capital, oil production areas, groupings of troops, air and missile bases. Saudi Arabia's air defense is the backbone of the Peace Shield air defense system. Basically, its creation was completed in 1995.
Satellite image of Google Earth: the layout of the radar (blue diamonds) and air defense systems (colored triangles) in Saudi Arabia.
"Peace Shield" includes 17 early warning radars AN / FPS-117, three radar systems D, coupled with radars AN / PPS-43 and AN / TPS-72 short and medium range.
Satellite image of Google Earth: airfields of air defense interceptors (red) and AWACS aircraft (blue)
Air force bases have operational centers that are integrated with AWACS aircraft, fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missiles and anti-aircraft artillery batteries. Saudi Arabia's air defense systems are united through the Peace Shield command, control, reconnaissance and communications system.
In total, the air defense forces are armed with 144 Patriot air defense missile systems, 128 MIM-23V Advanced Hawk air defense systems, 141 Shahin self-propelled air defense missile systems and 40 Crotal SPUs, as well as 270 anti-aircraft guns and installations: 128 35-mm ZU "Oerlikon", 50 30-mm SPAAG AMX-30SA, 92 20-mm SPAAG М163 "Vulcan". In addition, there are 70 40-mm L-70 anti-aircraft guns in the warehouses.
SAM short-range "Shahin"
American air defense systems MIM-104 PAC-2 "Patriot" are the most modern anti-aircraft systems in Saudi Arabia. SAMs of this type were deployed in the country during Desert Storm to protect the American contingent. Since 1993, 21 batteries have actually been supplied to the armed forces of the kingdom. At the moment, negotiations are underway with the United States on the supply of the Patriot air defense system of the PAC-3 modification.
PU SAM "Patriot"
Currently, 11 batteries are deployed and are on alert on a permanent basis. In different regions of the country, positions have been prepared for the deployment of air defense systems, some of them have high-strength concrete shelters for technical equipment and a bunker for personnel.
Satellite image of Google Earth: equipped positions of the Patriot air defense missile system with concrete high-strength shelters in Dhahran
Most of the Patriot air defense missile systems are located along the northeast coast protecting production areas and ports through which oil is exported.
Satellite image of Google Earth: deployed air defense systems "Patriot" in Riyadh
Since the end of the 60s, Saudi Arabia received the MIM-23 "Hawk" air defense system, later a modernized version of the "Improved Hawk" was supplied. Currently deployed 18 batteries. They are mainly deployed in the same areas as the Patriot air defense system.
Modern air forces and air defense systems guarantee with a high degree of reliability the protection of key religious, industrial, oil-producing and defense centers. The strike capabilities of the Saudi Air Force in the Middle East are currently second only to Israeli aviation. Taking into account the upcoming deliveries of modern aircraft from the United States and Europe, this gap, if not equal, will be reduced to a minimum. The Israelis will only have to rely on the higher quality training of their pilots.
Saudi Arabia does not hide its ambitions to be a regional superpower and leader of the Islamic world. Riyadh has a consistent policy of eliminating potential competitors such as Syria, Iraq and Iran. Given the growing regional instability, the Saudi ruling dynasty has spared no expense in building the region's most powerful army. Over the past 20 years, the Saudi military has more than doubled in size and is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons. Recently, the kingdom has been actively conducting research work in the field of nuclear energy. In February 2014, news emerged that Saudi Arabia intended to become a nuclear power. This is quite alarming information, given that the official religion in Saudi Arabia is Wahhabi Islam.
