LONDON: Assistant Defense and Aviation Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan, who received two Eurofighter Typhoon jets at a ceremony at the BAE Systems in England on Thursday, said the acquisition of the aircraft would boost the defense capability of the Kingdom. He took delivery of two jets out of 72 planes to be supplied by BAE systems under a 20 billion pounds ($32.9 billion) deal, Saudi Press Agency and Britain's Ministry of Defense said yesterday.
Saudi Arabia is the first country outside Europe to have the Typhoon jets, a multirole aircraft produced by a BAE Systems-led consortium of European firms.
The deal was first announced in August 2006 while contract for the Typhoon aircraft was signed in September 2007.
The purchase will help upgrade the Saudi air force from its current fleet of BAE's 1980s-vintage Tornado F3s and US-made Boeing F-15s.
Under the deal, BAE is to deliver 24 completely built Typhoons to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) while another 48 are to be assembled inside Saudi Arabia as the country seeks to build up its own aeronautic industry capabilities. Prince Khaled said Saudis would be given priority in jobs related to the assembling and maintenance of the planes. Prince Khaled said the acquisition of the new aircraft was "not meant to threaten anyone but to protect and secure the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the coming decades," SPA reported.
"The induction of the Eurofighter Typhoons into the air force will strengthen all the three wings of the armed forces -- air force, navy and the land forces and demonstrates the support of the government for the armed forces. The aircraft would go a long way in improving the fighting prowess of our forces," the prince said. "Since the signing of the deal, several RSAF officers, engineers and technicians underwent training at the Royal Air Force bases in Britain to equip themselves with the technology to operate and maintain the fighter jets," he added.
"The training program will continue in order to keep pace with the latest developments in technology pertaining to the aircraft."
"The Royal Saudi Air Force is getting a fantastic aircraft," said Britain's Minister of State for Armed Forces Bill Rammell, who also attended the ceremony.
© Arab News 2009
