"Eagles" will fly to the northeast?

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"Eagles" will fly to the northeast?
Unprecedented contract of Saudi Arabia with American manufacturers weapons leads to serious reflections

Riyadh implements a major re-equipment program for the army and aviation kingdoms. A key element of this process is the renewal of the Air Force fleet. The Saudis intend to radically strengthen the fighting potential of their troops, which will undoubtedly affect the balance of forces in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia seems to have finally decided to blow up the global arms market. A very large contract with the US military corporations has been announced - the total amount of the deal will be 60 billion dollars for 20 years. Central to it is the delivery of the X-NUMX F-84 Eagle (“Eagle”) fighter. In addition, the Royal Air Force is purchasing nearly two hundred combat helicopters and initiating a program to upgrade the Patriot air defense systems already in their possession.

SHOCK DEAL

What conclusion can be drawn from the analysis of the package of supplied equipment, weapons and equipment, the detailed lists of which were kindly published by the Pentagon’s military cooperation department?

Aircraft F-15SA - further modernization of the export model F-15S, long been in the possession of the Air Force of Saudi Arabia and familiar to their pilots. The base for it is the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber - a shock machine capable of conducting air combat, but primarily intended to combat ground targets.

Air-to-air weapons, in addition to AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM missiles with increased range and increased noise immunity, include AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. This sample, some experts call the "network" Sidewinder. This is the newest version of the well-proven melee missiles that received an all-thermal thermal homing head and carries a fundamentally new control system that allows receiving target designation not only from the direct carrier, but also from the entire operating group of attack aircraft, 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 thousands of aerial bombs, among which the managed 1100 GBU-24 Paveway III and 1000 GBU-31 (V) 3 / B with JDAM guidance equipment stand out in particular. These 900-kilogram ammunition are designed to defeat especially reinforced targets: bunkers, in-depth command and communication centers, etc.

The composition of the purchased guided missile weapons also deserves close attention. The package falls into 400 of AGM-84 Block II Harpoon and 600 anti-radar AGM-88B HARM anti-ship missiles. "Harpoons" of this series are notable for increased noise immunity and are equipped with GPS equipment for use in coastal waters. Combined with a large supply of anti-radar HARM, this indicates a prevailing emphasis on military operations within the limits of the sea coast, possibly having the character of a breakthrough of the air defense line for strikes deep in the enemy's territory.



AT THE APPROACH HELICOPTERS

But the Eagles is only half the sixty-billion-dollar deal. According to the second part of the contract, a radical renewal of the Saudi Air Force helicopter fleet is coming. XHUMX AH-70D Block III Apache Longbow, 64 UH-72M Black Hawk amphibious transport helicopters, 60 AH-36i Little Bird light reconnaissance and 6 MD-12F training helicopters are being purchased.

Of all the cars on this list, the experts, of course, will immediately single out the drums of the Longbow. The Royal Air Forces already have XHUMX older AH-12A Apache helicopters. AH-64D Apache Longbow has a number of countries, but its version of Block III, equipped with a new, more powerful engine and a developed set of reconnaissance and target designation equipment, has not even entered the United States Air Force (the first deliveries are scheduled to begin only in November 64).

The armament of these rotary wings also gives food for thought. Its basis is almost no 4800 guided missiles AGM-114R Hellfire II. They are designed to destroy ground fortifications, equipment and positions in urban areas. Can be used with unmanned aerial vehicles.

The last point is especially significant, since Block III Longbow helicopters carry a set of equipment for controlling the UAV. And although drones are not supplied under the Saudi Arabia contract, it is possible that this is a disguised opportunity, "reserved for further use." In addition, AH-6i reconnaissance helicopters controlled from the Longbow, on which Hellfires can be hung, are also capable of flying in unmanned mode, although there is no information whether the appropriate equipment will be supplied to the Saudi side for such use of machines. Perhaps this part of the contract has not yet been activated due to the growing opposition of Israel, which jealously guards its leadership in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Middle East.



CAREFULLY UNLATCHABLE THREATS

In addition to the purchase of 84 new fighters, the agreement includes work on the modernization of the Saudi Air Force 70 F-15S to the F-15SA level. Thus, in the hands of Riyadh will be more than a hundred and fifty strike aircraft with modern weapons, which completely change the appearance and capabilities of the tactical aviation of the oil monarchy. You can also add the 72 fighter Eurofighter Typhoon, four of which have already been received by the Royal Air Force.

In fact, this means a determination to complete the restructuring of the air forces of Saudi Arabia. Soon, they will be perhaps the most powerful in the region - at least in terms of the nominal composition of the fleet. On the one hand, the supplied weapon systems should lead to changes in the tactics of the combat use of aircraft and, to a large extent, in the control system of the armed forces acquiring an effective tool 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 moment is reflected in the contract: it provides a fairly broad program of classes with Saudi pilots in the United States. In addition, the package of transferred weapons includes a fair amount of training ammunition.

What tasks can be solved by such a composition of an aviation group with similar weapons? First of all, this is a serious bid for a multiple increase in the capabilities of Saudi Arabian strike aircraft. A detailed analysis of the composition of the weapons supplied indicates that marine and coastal targets can be considered as priority: ships, radar installations, launching sites for cruise missiles, etc. The second group of targets is fortified objects: command centers, ballistic missile storage bases, etc.

The lack of fighter-interceptors and a significant number of air-to-air guided missiles among the acquired weapons and military equipment (supplied can be called modern weapons, but rather defensive) dictates the choice of the likely 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 meets these requirements in the region - Iran. Not accidentally, a number of political scientists since the beginning of 2010 have indicated that the relations of the Persian Gulf monarchies with Tehran have noticeably deteriorated, especially after the United Arab Emirates joined the sanctions that seriously violated the well-established mechanism of foreign trade of the Islamic Republic (especially the import of high-output oil products). And Saudi Arabia is not the only oil monarchy that is currently strengthening the armed forces.

It says a lot about the approach of the big Gulf war, because a gun capable of firing in the second act is quite actively hanging on the wall - with the most active support of Washington, which, apparently, is preparing to transfer responsibility for the military deterrence of Iran to loyal local players. , more urgent tasks.
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  1. dred
    0
    28 November 2011 18: 09
    Saudi Arabia has always taken American technology.
  2. 0
    1 July 2012 18: 07
    F-15s are currently obsolete machines. In the United States, their flights were suspended due to the age of the aircraft. In addition, the Arabs are, to put it mildly, poor soldiers. This has been proved by Jews many times. The Saudi Arabian Air Force has no combat experience at all. in the event of war they are unlikely to be particularly effective. At the same time, Iran, too, cannot boast of its military power.

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