Saudi Arabia's unprecedented contract with US arms manufacturers is highly thought-provoking
Riyadh is carrying out a major re-equipment program for the kingdom's army and air force. Renewal of the Air Force fleet is becoming a key element of this process. The Saudis intend to radically strengthen the combat potential of their troops, which will undoubtedly affect the balance of power in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia seems to have finally decided to blow up the global arms market. A very large contract has been announced with American military corporations - the total volume of the deal will amount to $ 60 billion for 20 years. Central to it is the delivery of 84 F-15 Eagle fighters. In addition, the Royal Air Force is purchasing nearly two hundred combat helicopters and is initiating a program to modernize its existing Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
SHOCK DEAL
What conclusion can be drawn from the analysis of the package of supplied equipment, weapons and equipment, detailed lists of which were kindly published by the Pentagon's Office of Military Cooperation?
The F-15SA aircraft are a further upgrade of the export model F-15S, which has long been in the possession of the Saudi Arabian Air Force and is well known to their pilots. The base for it is the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber - an attack vehicle capable of conducting aerial combat, but primarily designed to combat ground targets.
The air-to-air armament, in addition to the AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM missiles with increased range and increased noise immunity, includes AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. Some experts call this sample a "network sidewinder". This is the latest version of well-proven melee missiles, which has received an all-aspect thermal homing head and carries a fundamentally new control system that allows you to receive target designation not only from a direct carrier, but also from the entire operating group of strike aviation, as well as from reconnaissance aircraft.
But the biggest interest is the air-to-ground weapons package. First of all, a wide range of several thousand aerial bombs, among which the guided ones - 1100 GBU-24 Paveway III and 1000 GBU-31 (V) 3 / B with JDAM guidance equipment - stand out. These 900-kilogram ammunition is designed to defeat especially fortified targets: bunkers, buried command and communication centers, etc.
The composition of the purchased guided missile weapons also deserves close attention. The package splits into 400 AGM-84 Block II Harpoon anti-ship missiles and 600 AGM-88B HARM anti-radar missiles. "Harpoons" of this series are distinguished by increased noise immunity and are equipped with GPS equipment for use in coastal waters. Together with the large supply of anti-radar HARMs, this indicates the prevailing emphasis on combat operations within the seacoast, possibly in the nature of breaking through the air defense line to deliver strikes deep in enemy territory.
ON APPROACH HELICOPTERS
But the Eagles are only half of the $ 60 billion deal. Under the second part of the contract, a radical renewal of the Saudi Air Force's helicopter fleet is coming. 70 AH-64D Block III Apache Longbow attack helicopters, 72 UH-60M Black Hawk assault helicopters, 36 light reconnaissance AH-6i Little Bird reconnaissance helicopters and 12 MD-530F trainers are being purchased.
Of all the machines in this list, the experts, of course, will immediately single out the Longbow drums. The RAF already has 12 older AH-64A Apache helicopters. A number of countries also have the AH-64D Apache Longbow model, but its Block III version, equipped with a new, more powerful engine and a developed complex of reconnaissance and target designation, has not even entered the US Air Force (the first deliveries are planned to begin only in November 2012).
The armament of these rotorcraft also gives food for thought. It is based on nearly 4800 AGM-114R Hellfire II guided missiles. They are designed to defeat ground fortifications, equipment and positions in urban areas. Can also be used from unmanned aerial vehicles.
The latter point is especially significant, since the Longbow Block III helicopters carry a set of UAV control equipment on board. And although drones are not being delivered to Saudi Arabia under the contract, it is possible that this is a disguised opportunity, "reserved for future use." In addition, AH-6i reconnaissance helicopters, on which Hellfires can be suspended, are also capable of flying in unmanned mode, although there is no information whether the Saudi side will be supplied with the appropriate equipment for this use of machines. Perhaps this part of the contract has not yet been activated due to the growing opposition from Israel, which jealously protects its leadership in the field of unmanned aircraft in the Middle East.
CAREFULLY UNSECURED THREAT
In addition to the purchase of 84 new fighters, the agreement includes work on the modernization of 70 F-15S of the Saudi Air Force to the level of F-15SA. Thus, Riyadh will have more than one and a half hundred strike aircraft with modern weapons, which will completely change the appearance and capabilities of the tactical aviation of the oil monarchy. You can also add 72 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters, four of which have already been received by the Royal Air Force.
In fact, this means a determination to completely overhaul Saudi Arabia's air force. Soon they will turn out to be almost the most powerful in the region - at least in terms of the nominal composition of the fleet of cars. On the one hand, the supplied weapon systems should lead to changes in the tactics of the combat employment of aviation and, in many respects, in the control system of the armed forces, which are acquiring an effective instrument of air warfare. On the other hand, obtaining such a quantity of modern technology is unthinkable without deep retraining of pilots who will have to learn how to use airplanes and helicopters in combat operations. This point was reflected in the contract: it provides for a fairly broad program of training with Saudi pilots in the United States. In addition, the package of transferred weapons contains a fair amount of training ammunition.
What tasks can be solved by such an aviation group with similar weapons? First of all, this is a serious application for a multiple increase in the capabilities of the strike aircraft of Saudi Arabia. A detailed analysis of the composition of the supplied weapons indicates that sea and coastal targets can be considered priority: ships, radar installations, cruise missile launching positions, etc. The second group of targets is fortified facilities: command centers, ballistic missile storage bases, etc.
The absence of interceptor fighters and a noticeable number of guided air-to-air missiles (those supplied can be called the most modern weapons, but rather defensive) dictates the choice of a potential enemy. Surely this is a fairly large state with a developed and protected military and military-industrial infrastructure, with a wide range of coastal and naval military facilities, as well as having a relatively undeveloped air force and air defense system.
Only one country in the region meets such requirements - Iran. It is no coincidence that a number of political scientists have pointed out since the beginning of 2010 that relations between the monarchies of the Persian Gulf and Tehran have noticeably deteriorated, especially after the accession of the United Arab Emirates to sanctions, which seriously disrupted the well-functioning mechanism of foreign trade of the Islamic Republic (in particular, the import of high-grade oil products). And Saudi Arabia is not the only oil monarchy currently strengthening its armed forces.
It says a lot about the approaching big Gulf War, as the gun capable of shooting in the second act is rather actively being hung on the wall - with the most active support from Washington, which, apparently, is preparing to transfer responsibility for the military containment of Iran to loyal local players, focusing on others., more urgent tasks.
