Oman to Obtain 12 Typhoons, 8 Hawks

[asianobserve]

By: Greg Waldron
Flightglobal

BAE Systems has secured a deal for 12 Typhoon Tranche 3 fighters and eight Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft, with deliveries to start in 2017.

Oman will be the seventh air force to operate the Typhoon, says BAE. Other operators are the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia.

The Oman contract comprises a provision to include the Euroradar consortium's E-Scan active electronically scanned array radar.

The Oman deal is not unexpected. In its half-year results statement on 2 August, the UK company said contract negotiations with Oman for 12 Typhoons were underway, with a contract possible by the end of 2012.

The sale caps a challenging year for Typhoon. In January, the Typhoon was all but eliminated from India's 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft acquisition when New Delhi selected the Dassault Rafale for final contract negotiations.

In addition, price continues to be the key hurdle in BAE's bid to sell 72 Eurofighter Typhoons to Saudi Arabia, according to a negotiations update from BAE on 20 December.

The so-called Salam deal, contracted in 2007, has so far delivered 24 aircraft. BAE says further aircraft are being built at its facility in Warton, UK for delivery in 2013, and that outstanding issues relate to price rather than timing. The original contract prices were based on 2005 economic conditions, but a re-pricing of the 12-year contract for aircraft, support, maintenance, upgrades and training has been under discussion for two years.

The Typhoon is also in contention against the Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle and Lockheed Martin F-35 in South Korea's F-X III competition for 60 aircraft.

As for the Hawk, the Oman deal takes the total number sold or on order to 998, says BAE.


Oman to obtain 12 Typhoons, eight Hawks

 

[indian_sukhoi]

Surprised to hear that the total orders for typhoons is around 1000, Keeps production ticking over a bit longer.


Btw, whats the price oman govt paying for the whole package?

 

[datguy79]

Surprised to hear that the total orders for typhoons is around 1000, Keeps production ticking over a bit longer.


Btw, whats the price oman govt paying for the whole package?

Price is irrelevant to the Arabs, who just want to flaunt the money. A better question would be: Why does Oman even need these?

 

[farhan_9909]

Great fighter and Great choice by Oman.

 

[Blackwater]

with oil money, Arab Dont mind buying anything from brits/EU. After all they are obsessed with white brits

 

[indian_sukhoi]

Price is irrelevant to the Arabs, who just want to flaunt the money. A better question would be: Why does Oman even need these?

War is inevitable, They requirement is very low and spending a few billions wont hurt them anyways. Maybe the whole deal more of Political choice!!

There is no way Oman opting JSF-35s since Israel wont let them, So Typhoons could be thier best option for Future needs.

Got to admit, It seems price is irrelevant for Arabs. It seems they are spending 2.5bn for 12 Typhoon aircrafts. Dunno whether the package even included 8 AJT hawks. Even if its is, Its still huge price.

David Cameron is hoping to seal the deal on a visit to Oman, his second since taking office. Cameron will meet the Sultan of Oman to discuss trade and regional foreign policy challenges – including Iran, Egypt and Yemen – and then the two men will view Typhoon fighter jets at the country's Seeb airport.

Oman is expected to order 12 of the fighters, worth £2.5bn, and eight Hawk 128 training aircraft from BAE Systems.

"I'm determined to put Britain's first-class defence industry at the forefront of this market, supporting 300,000 jobs across the country," Cameron said ahead of the deal. "The Typhoon fighter jet performed outstandingly in Libya, and so it's no surprise that Oman want to add this aircraft to their fleet." The deal will safeguard jobs at BAE factories in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and small companies throughout the UK that support production of the aircraft, he added.
Oman set to buy 20 aircraft from BAe | World news | The Guardian

Playing Air-superiority role over a airspace where no enemy aircraft's flying.

The only effective operations the typhoon made was dropping guided bombs on targets designation been provided by the Tornados targeting pods

 

[farhan_9909]

arab countries seems like don't negotiate for price

one F-16 was sold at 165millions price to iraq if i remember

 

[bose]

Arabs are wasting their money which they have in abundance... Wait for the oil to finish then the real game will un fold...

 

[Yusuf]

Great fighter and Great choice by Oman.

I am sure it's not as great as the JF-17. Oman should have taken that

No seriously, Gulf nations have been buying fancy toys whether they require or not. The entire region so far is under US protectorate. Worse, in any event of an Arab Israeli war, these nations will get the boot from the US and UK and their planes will drop from the sky mysteriously. Arabs are such suckers. Just like they make houses of gold and mobiles of diamonds just to show they have money, they spend on defence without thinking. India at a point was negoatiating for 126 fighters @$10 billion and Oman is buying a tenth of it at quarter th price!

 

[farhan_9909]

I am sure it's not as great as the JF-17. Oman should have taken that

No seriously, Gulf nations have been buying fancy toys whether they require or not. The entire region so far is under US protectorate. Worse, in any event of an Arab Israeli war, these nations will get the boot from the US and UK and their planes will drop from the sky mysteriously. Arabs are such suckers. Just like they make houses of gold and mobiles of diamonds just to show they have money, they spend on defence without thinking. India at a point was negoatiating for 126 fighters @$10 billion and Oman is buying a tenth of it at quarter th price!

the reason they don't have brain.i mean it is slightly than the rest of humans around the world

 

[SajeevJino]

$4.07B Oman Eurofighter deal bolsters BAE​

The Persian Gulf sultanate of Oman has a signed a $4.07 billion contract with Britain's BAE for 12 Eurofighter Typhoon strike jets and eight advanced Hawk trainers, a big boost after a proposed merger with European aerospace giant EADS fell through in October.

It wasn't the $12.6 billion deal with Saudi Arabia BAE was shooting for to put it back in the increasingly competitive battle with U.S. and European companies for major export orders but it should keep Britain's largest defense contractor going as it regroups following the collapse of the $25 billion merger with the builder of the Airbus jetliner.

The proposed deal would have created the world's largest defense and aerospace group but was blocked largely because of political objections by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Eurofighter consortium comprises BAE, EADS and Italy's Finmeccanica, with the British company leading negotiations with Saudi Arabia and Oman.

On Wednesday, BAE warned it had been unable to finalize a deal to sell Saudi Arabia 72 more Typhoons, on top of 72 Riyadh bought in 2007 under a $7.3 billion deal.

BAE has delivered 24 of that order, enough for one squadron, with the final 48 to be built in Saudi Arabia, part of the kingdom's drive to develop its own defense industries.

But obstacles have emerged in recent months. BAE said Wednesday these includes differences over "definitive pricing ... While progress has been made through the course of these negotiations, issues remain to be resolved before contract pricing, acceptable to all parties, can be agreed."

But there may be political overtones to the differences.

The Oman deal was announced as British Prime Minister David Cameron, a staunch advocate of British arms exports, visited Muscat, the capital of the sultanate that lies at the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula and is a longtime ally of Britain.

The deal had been expected despite recent strains in relations between the gulf's defense heavyweights, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and London over what they see as undue British criticism of their democratic failings and human rights record.

Cameron visited the gulf in early November seeking to soothe regional tempers that threatened to disrupt Britain's long-established arms sales in the region, which was under British protection until 1971 when London withdrew its "East of Suez" military forces as Britain's imperial power waned.

Amid severe cutbacks on defense spending across Europe and the United States, these sales have become vital to companies like BAE so they can maintain production lines while domestic orders shrink alarmingly.

"Boosting exports is vital for economic growth and that's why I'm doing all I can to promote British business in the fastest-growing markets so they can thrive in the global race," Cameron said before leaving London.

"Every country in the world has a right to self-defense and I'm determined to put Britain's first-class defense industry at the forefront of this market, supporting 300,000 jobs across the country."

Oman's Sultan Qaboos owes his power to Britain, which discreetly helped him usurp his isolationist father in a 1970 palace coup, then later sent Special Forces to crush a communist rebellion.

BAE said in August that modest earnings growth this year was dependent on concluding pricing agreement for 72 Typhoons with Riyadh.

Shrinking U.S and European defense budgets have made the oil-rich Persian Gulf monarchies more crucial to Western defense industries than ever.

The George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations have intensified arms sales to the gulf states, citing the need to contain Iran. It follows that competition between European and U.S. contractors has intensified as they fight for the big-ticket defense programs in the strategic region.

At this time, the United States is supplying Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Kuwait with missile-defense systems, combat jets, tanks, helicopters and warships with some $67 billion under a 10-year arms program involving U.S. defense leaders like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and others.

In 2011, Riyadh placed an order worth $29.4 billion for 84 Boeing F-15S jets and upgrades for 70 already in Saudi service.

In the final analysis, the Americans have more influence with regard to arms sales because they guarantee the security of the gulf monarchies, whereas Britain has nowhere near that kind of clout to bolster its arms sales.


$4.07B Oman Eurofighter deal bolsters BAE

 

[indian_sukhoi]

arab countries seems like don't negotiate for price

one F-16 was sold at 165millions price to iraq if i remember

That deal was hilarious

They sold F-16s Block52 variants for 165million a piece, not including spare and training. Thats a equivalent price of a JSF-35.

Heck, They can acquire a whole almost 2 squadrons of Rafales, for a price 3.5 billion which they are paying for 18 F-16s

I am sure it's not as great as the JF-17. Oman should have taken that

No seriously, Gulf nations have been buying fancy toys whether they require or not. The entire region so far is under US protectorate. Worse, in any event of an Arab Israeli war, these nations will get the boot from the US and UK and their planes will drop from the sky mysteriously. Arabs are such suckers. Just like they make houses of gold and mobiles of diamonds just to show they have money, they spend on defence without thinking. India at a point was negoatiating for 126 fighters @$10 billion and Oman is buying a tenth of it at quarter th price!

Exactly,

Almost the whole region now operates Western military equipment. Almost all countries Iraq, Egypt and others who to use Russians weapons is now replaced with US hardware.

AFAIK, Sryia and Iran are the only countries who doesn't use US military hardware.

You have to admit, Americans do know how to hold a grip on International Affairs. Making arab nations to buy lesser advanced military aircrafts, whereas they might offer F-35s for Israel in future to maintain the balance.

 

[p2prada]

Lol. They should have bought the Rafale. Wouldn't have come at $300Million a piece and is better than this incomplete aircraft.

Even the Saudis paid only a $100-150 Million each compared to this deal. Heck they could have bought something like Su-35s instead, and would have at least got them 50 aircraft.

 

[Apollyon]

Lol. They should have bought the Rafale. Wouldn't have come at $300Million a piece and is better than this incomplete aircraft.

Even the Saudis paid only a $100-150 Million each compared to this deal. Heck they could have bought something like Su-35s instead, and would have at least got them 50 aircraft.

GCC countries are pledged for maximum interoperability. There are talks of Saudi financing Jordan's EuroFighter deal . (Link)

Edited : KSA EF deal is worth £10 Billion, £5.4 for 72 EF and rest for weapons and maintenance equipment :shocked: and deal could be worth as much as £20bn across its 25-year life :shocked:.

:dafuq:

 

[p2prada]

The Saudis themselves are going in for more F-15s in a $30 Billion deal. link

UAE, Qatar and Kuwait may end up buying Rafales. At least that's what UAE plans to do and the other two countries are expected to buy whatever UAE buys. Even Typhoon is in the fray. So if UAE buys Typhoons then it would make sense for interoperability. Otherwise it is just another business deal.