• Naval Warfare

  IDEX 2017: Navies look to address militant threat

  13th February 2017

  Recent events off the coast of Yemen and an uptick in militant activity, including a suicide attack against a Saudi vessel last month, are expected …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Saudi Arabia requests PTDS from US

  24th January 2017

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a $525 million foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia of 74K Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2017: The lay of the land

  13th February 2017

  The Middle East is about as unstable as anyone can remember with the civil war in Syria, the continuing fight against Daesh in Iraq and …

• Defence Helicopter

  Saudi helicopter force stands up

  1st February 2017

  The first operational brigade of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) will receive 12 Boeing AH-6i armed scout helicopters in May as the new aviation …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Armed UAV export reform pressure mounts

  3rd February 2017

  While the US regularly exports billions of dollars-worth of fighter jets, missiles and other advanced military systems to its closest allies, one piece of equipment …

• Defence Helicopter

  Rockwell Collins partners with Taqnia

  27th December 2016

  Rockwell Collins and Taqnia Aeronautics will collaborate on military rotary and fixed wing avionics opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under an agreement announced …

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed Martin receives $1.45b for PAC-3/MSE

  27th December 2016

  Lockheed Martin has received a $1.45 billion contract for production and delivery of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors, …

• Defence Notes

  Growing threats shape Middle East (video)

  22nd December 2016

  The Middle East region continues to play a major part in world politics, particularly when it comes to defence and security.Growing threats in the region …

• Defence Helicopter

  Panther prowls in the Middle East

  26th December 2016

  With a long history in the Middle East, Airbus Helicopters could see the newest variant of the Panther being utilised by current operators of the …

• Defence Notes

  Saudi and UAE driving GCC defence

  14th December 2016

  The two military heavyweights of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are driving defence procurement in the region with recent increases …

• Defence Notes

  Analysis: Saudi Arabia - A close customer (part 3 - maritime)

  18th December 2016

  We come to the last part on Saudi Arabia's defence relationship with the West, the maritime domain. This is less high profile than the land …

• Land Warfare

  Analysis: Saudi Arabia - A close customer (part 1 - land)

  14th December 2016

  With Saudi Arabia engaged in military action in the Yemen, the kingdom is taking an active part in the wider Middle East conflict between Sunni …

• Defence Helicopter

  Saudi Arabia wants Chinook helicopters

  13th December 2016

  The US State Department has approved a $3.51 billion foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia of CH-47F Chinook helicopters and related equipment, training and support, the …

• Defence Notes

  Saudi Arabia to receive first F-15SA

  14th December 2016

  The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is set to receive this week the first batch of F-15SA aircraft from Boeing Defense. The US congress was …

• Defence Notes

  Analysis: Saudi Arabia - A close customer (part 2 - air)

  14th December 2016

  As we have already seen in Part 1 – Land, the close defence relationship between Saudi Arabia's ruling House of Saud and Western governments is …

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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 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 ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Didgori AMEV ( Saudi Arabia - Second Batch)

  Programme Background Saudi Arabia announced that it was evaluating several 4x4 armoured vehicles in 2014 under a programme to acquire new armoured ambulances capable of ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 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 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 - Saudi Arabia

  Programme Background Riyadh had already experience to operate various Chinese-made UAVs, including Wing Loong I,  Wing Loong II and CH-4.   Saudi Arabia was planning to ...

• Corvettes

  Avante 2200 (6-8) [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background Timeline In December 2022, the Saudi Arabian MoD and General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) signed an MoU with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to ...

• 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 ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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. ...

• Mine-protected vehicles

  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 ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  RF-7800M-MP

  The L3Harris Falcon III RF-7800M-MP high-capacity data radio provides secure voice and high-speed networked data, supporting both narrowband and wideband waveforms of 30MHz-2GHz with 20W ...

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Qiam-1

  The Qiam-1 is a short-range ballistic missile designed and used by Iran. It is based on the Shahab-2.

• Mine-protected vehicles

  Aravis

  Nexter unveiled its 12.5t Aravis at Eurosatory 2008, and in April 2009, the company received a launch order for 15 vehicles to equip French Army ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Sky Saker FX80

  The Sky Saker FX80 is a VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone from Norinco. Designed explicitly for artillery spotting operations, the drone was unveiled at the 14th Chinese ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Cockpit 9000

  Produced by CMC Electronics, the Cockpit 9000 is an integrated avionics solution primarily integrated into C-130 aircraft. According to the manufacturer, over 100 C-130s are ...