• Land Warfare

  Saudi Arabia requests TOW 2B missiles

  27th March 2018

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of TOW 2B (BGM-71F-series) missiles to Saudi Arabia, the Defense Security …

• Defence Helicopter

  Saudi Arabia requests continuation of MSS contract

  26th March 2018

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia of continued maintenance support services (MSS), the Defense …

• Defence Notes

  Qatar introduces national service for women

  5th April 2018

  Qatar is introducing national service for women for the first time while extending the time served in the military by conscripted men, under a law …

• Defence Notes

  Poll shows most French against weapons sales to Saudi

  26th March 2018

  Three out of four French people believe it is ‘unacceptable’ to sell military weapons to Saudi Arabia, according to a poll published on 26 March. …

• Defence Notes

  Saudis intercept seven Yemen rebel missiles in deadly escalation

  26th March 2018

  Saudi forces intercepted seven Yemeni rebel missiles on 25 March, including over the capital Riyadh, in a deadly escalation on the eve of the third …

• Naval Warfare

  Saudi-Spanish corvette deal on the cards

  7th April 2018

  Saudi Arabia's crown prince meets the Spanish king in Madrid on 5 April as he continues his global diplomatic charm offensive in a bid to …

• Special Operations

  Qatar opens special ops training center

  3rd April 2018

  The Qatar Special Operations Command (Q-SOC) is set to benefit from a new state-of-the-art training facility following a deal confirmed at the Doha International Maritime …

• Defence Notes

  US approves $1 billion in Saudi defence contracts

  23rd March 2018

  The US formally approved defence contracts totalling more than $1 billion with Saudi Arabia on 22 March, as the kingdom's crown prince continued his American …

• Defence Helicopter

  Qatar to receive AH-64E APKWS rockets

  14th April 2018

  In a deal approved by the US State Separtment, Qatar is set to weaponise its Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters with Advanced Precision Kill Weapon …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: UK needs Saudi defence relationship

  16th March 2018

  The recent visit by the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Sultan (MBS) to the United Kingdom has generated a flurry of announcements about the future …

• Defence Notes

  Mattis: US should maintain support to Saudis in Yemen

  16th March 2018

  US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has asked the US Congress not to interfere with America's role in the war in Yemen, where it is supporting …

• Defence Notes

  War, conflict fuel arms imports to Middle East, Asia

  12th March 2018

  Weapons imports to the Middle East and Asia have boomed over the past five years, fuelled by war and tensions in those regions, a new …

• Defence Notes

  Britain signs Saudi Eurofighter order

  9th March 2018

  Britain has signed a multi-billion-pound preliminary order from Saudi Arabia for 48 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, military equipment maker BAE Systems said on Friday. The …

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed’s PAC-3 CRI in White Sands testing

  9th March 2018

  Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI) interceptor has successfully intercepted two tactical ballistic missile targets in a test at White Sands Missile Range, the …

• Military Logistics

  MoU signed for An-132 production

  6th March 2018

  Antonov, Taqnia Aeronautics and WAHAJ have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the manufacture of the An-132 aircraft, Antonov announced on 1 March. The …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport

  C-130 Replacement [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Saudi Air Force operates 33 C-130H, 7 KC-130H aircraft and two KC-130Js. The country has been seeking to replace its ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Kozak 5 (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background  In 2021, Ukrainian firm Pracktika announced that they had fulfilled an export contract to deliver 60 Kozak-5 armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. The ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Data links

  Data links | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background Saudi Arabia was the first export customer for the M1A2 Abrams. 315 were delivered between 1993 and 1994 as part of a $1.5 ...

• Main battle tanks

  T-90S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background.  The status of the Saudi Arabian T-90 deal is unclear, it is possible that these tanks may be purchased to replace stocks of ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Jais 4x4 [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background The Saudi Arabian government is aiming to localise 50% of its investment into defence by 2030 in line with the country's Vision 2030 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Saudi Arabia National Guard LAV 700

  The Saudi Arabian LAV 700 order is believed to encompass several variants including APC, ambulance, armoured recovery vehicle, command post, ATGM carrier, IFV, VIP transport ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 Abrams [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background The USA has historically been Saudi Arabia's largest arms supplier. The M1A2 Abrams is currently the backbone of Saudi Arabia's MBT fleet, with an estimated ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 [Saudi Arabia]

  Background 2014 Order According to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), in 2014, Saudi Arabia ordered two CH-4 aircraft from China. However, information from the Stockholm International Peace ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Anka-S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia has reportedly been in negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs since 2013. It has not been disclosed which Anka ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Titus

  While there has been no direct confirmation that Nexter has sold the Titus to Saudi Arabia, it has been confirmed that Nexter has delivered CAESAR ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Hazem

  Produced by SAMI Navantia, Hazem is a combat management system designed for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. Based on the Cadiz CMS, it is integrated ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2 (Block 8, 8A, 9, 10, 10C, 11, 11C, 15, 15C)

  Under the Typhoon Tranche 2 procurement,  the four European partner nations of Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the export customer Saudi Arabia took delivery ...

• Transport

  An-132

  The An-132 is a multipurpose transport aircraft based on the Soviet-era An-32. It is being jointly developed by Antonov and Saudi Arabia's Technology Development and ...

• SH-01

  The SHAHEEN SH-01 is a VTOL UAS manufactured by Prince Sultan Defense in Saudi Arabia. The aircraft is designed for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. 

• Ship-launched torpedoes, Submarine-launched torpedoes

  F17

  The F17 is a wire-guided anti-surface ship torpedo developed for the French Navy and purchased by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The latest version is the F17 ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  Agrion

  The Agrion is a surveillance and missile targeting pulse radar manufactured by Thomson-CSF (now Thales). It is designed to work alongside the AS-15TT anti-ship missiles ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Shahine

  The Shahine radar is a key component of the Shahine self-propelled surface-to-air missile system, developed by Thomson-CSF (now Thales) for Saudi Arabia in the 1970s. ...

• Data links

  TTR

  Offered through Data Link Solutions (DLS) – Rockwell Collins' joint venture with BAE Systems – TacNet Tactical Radio (TTR) is claimed to be the smallest ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Silent Hunter

  Silent Hunter, also known as the low-altitude laser defence system (LASS), is a Chinese laser energy weapon believed to have been developed by the China Electronics ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Interceptor HSI32

  The Interceptor HSI32 was designed by French shipbuilder CMN to meet the needs of modern navies and coastguards. The vessel's primary missions are sea policing ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  Captas-1

  CAPTAS-1 is a low-frequency Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) developed by Thales. It is the smallest member of the CAPTAS family optimised for littoral and shallow water ...

• Corvettes

  Avante 2200 (Combatant)

  The Avante 2200 corvettes from Spanish shipbuilder Navantia are currently under construction for Saudi Arabia. A contract was signed for five corvettes in July 2018. ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Cymbeline

  The Cymbeline is a phased-array, mortar-locating radar that detects the flight path of a mortar bomb at two points in its trajectory as it passes ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  ALTESSE

  Thales' Alert and Surface Ship Evaluation (ALTESSE) provides alerts on communication signals, tactical situation development and COMINT capabilities. Its wideband instantaneous bandwidth and processing capacities ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  RG32M

  BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa produced more than 600 RG32-series vehicles before its acquisition in 2014 by state-owned Denel.  According to the company, the ...