Russia, Saudi Arabia set to finalise giant arms deal: report

1.44

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Russia, Saudi Arabia set to finalise giant arms deal: report

MOSCOW, Aug 29, 2009 (AFP) - Saudi Arabia is close to signing a two-billion-dollar (1.4-billion-euro) deal to buy Russian arms, a Russian defence industry source was quoted as saying on Saturday.

"Work is nearly complete on a set of contracts on the delivery of Russian arms and military technology to Saudi Arabia, with a total value of around two billion dollars," the source told Interfax news agency.

"For many of these contracts, all the technical and financial details have practically been agreed, for others work is still ongoing," he added.

Riyadh may purchase up to 150 helicopters -- 30 Mi-35 attack helicopters and up to 120 Mi-17 transport helicopters -- more than 150 T-90S tanks, around 250 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and "several dozen" air defence systems, the source said.

Contracts for the sale of the tanks and the helicopters "could be signed as soon as this year," he told Interfax.

Spokespersons for Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly, and for the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, which oversees the arms trade, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia -- a close US ally -- has long bought most of its arms from the United States and Western Europe, but in recent years has been in talks on buying military equipment from Russia.

Meanwhile Russia is keen to find new markets for its weapons exports, one of the few sectors of Russian manufacturing that has enjoyed international success.

In 2008 Moscow and Riyadh signed a military cooperaton treaty, and this year Saudi King Abdullah received a delegation that included a top Kremlin adviser and an official from Rosoboronexport.

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20090829T092956ZAAF39/Russia,%20Saudi%20Arabia%20Set%20To%20Finalise%20$2B%20Arms%20Deal
 

A.V.

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now what does this indicate?
the russian arms industry is back and rolling

also i wonder what will SA do with so many weapons? they have us supplies, france supplies, eu supplies and now huge russian supplies
 

bhramos

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these is a old deal, going on from last 2-3 yrs,
anyhow, i got a small doubt about this deal,
250 BMP-3's??? anyway what are BMP's going to do in deserts,
basically these amphibian vehicles.
all the other deal is ok.
but there were pics about the air defence systems, that Saudi wanted,
its a modification of Tungaska, this system will be based on some truck with 3 rocket launch tubes [ Tungaska with 2 launch tubes], and a upgraded radar.
 

icecoolben

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Regional arms race

May be its part of an effort to counter-balance the arms race in the region. uae was the 3rd largest arms importer in 2008, after china, india. Iran has every intention of going nuclear. So may be they require a quantitative advantage. The saudis are also fuming as the US is pushing for democracy and reforms. So may be they are trying to create a bulk-ward against the US.
 

Sabir

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now what does this indicate?
the russian arms industry is back and rolling

also i wonder what will SA do with so many weapons? they have us supplies, france supplies, eu supplies and now huge russian supplies
google a bit, You will find saudis are giving massive order for showcases too.

Just joking.....perhapes they have tried all other option of spending money.....They will need to import manpower too for running those machines...keep checking recruitment pages in news paper...

Mod Edit: Keep out the Sarcasm, and Post to the Point.
 
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russia is also selling arms to greece and possibly turkey NATO nations, and buying from french,interesting to see the Russians making inroads into new markets, like USA is doing in india.
 

1.44

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Saudi Arabia to buy Russian tanks and helicopters in $2 billion weapons deal


05:40 GMT, September 1, 2009 defpro.com | Saudi Arabia is close to buy Russian arms and military equipment worth some $2 billion (€1.4 billion), a Russian defence industry source was quoted by Interfax on Saturday. The news agency reported that the unnamed source said that “work is nearly completed on a set of contracts on the delivery of Russian arms and military technology to Saudi Arabia.”

The major weapon deal with Rosoboronexport State Corporation, Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly, may include up to 30 Mi-35 attack helicopters and up to 120 Mi-171B, the export version of the Mi-17 Hip multi-purpose helicopter, which is in service in some 80 countries. As defpro.com already reported earlier this month, Russia concluded talks with Saudi Arabia on the helicopter contract.

Russian tracked vehicles and tanks on Saudi Arabia’s shopping list

Beside the helicopters, the deal also compromises some 150 T-90S main battle tanks (MBTs) and around 250 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). Furthermore, several sets of Russian state-of-the-art S-400 Triumf air defence systems are part of the multi-billion contract.

The advanced S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) allegedly has no equivalent in the West, and is said to have outflanked the US MIM-104 Patriot. The system is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at distances of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), twice the range of the Patriot. Defence experts believe that the system may be able to encounter cruise missiles and ballistic missiles as well as most stealth aircraft. The Interfax source said that Saudi Arabia is interested in “several dozen” S-400 systems, each including at least eight launchers with 32 missiles and a mobile command post. Besides Saudi Arabia also Turkey, Egypt and Iran have shown strong interest in the Russian air defence system.

With this deal, the Russian Federation’s T-90 – including India’s licenced T-90S production programme – should be the most successful tank in terms of new selling numbers showing once again that the days of US and European domination over new production are long gone in the international market for main battle tanks.

The BMP-3, nicknamed “Troyka” and one of the most heavily armed infantry fighting vehicles in service, is already an old model, having been first built in 1987. However, it found its way back in the market as several nations are looking again at heavier armour and protection as well as more effective state-of-the-art weapon systems. A dozen countries have already integrated this vehicle into their armed forces, among them Saudi Arabia’s neighbours Kuwait as well as the United Arab Emirates. Greece is also preparing a possible purchase of 420 of these tracked fighting vehicles.

According to Interfax, Riyadh may sign contracts for the tanks and helicopters as early as this year. In a number of the contracts which are part of this major deal, both sides have already agreed on the key technical and financial details while other contracts are still being negotiated, according to the quoted source.


Saudi Arabia taking the lead in Middle East defence spending

Riyadh traditionally bought exclusively Western, mainly US-made, military equipment. However, in 2008 Saudi Arabia and Russia signed a “framework agreement for military cooperation” that opened the way for Saudi Arabia to buy Russian arms. In July 2008, as Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal visited Moscow, a Russian newspaper reported that several deals, including the procurement of military equipment, has been discussed with a total worth of some $4 billion. Finally, this year Saudi King Abdullah received a delegation that included a top Kremlin advisor and an official from Rosoboronexport.

The new orientation of Riyadh towards a new principal weapons supplier may result from difficulties which the Arab countries experienced in recent attempts to buy military equipment from the West since 11 September 2001.

Saudi Arabia's defence budget currently exceeds $33 billion and is expected to reach $44 billion in 2010. In a recently published report Frost & Sullivan predicts that defence expenditures in the Middle East will cross the $100 billion mark in the coming five years. The fear that Iran’s nuclear programme may destabilise the entire region is suggested as one of the key reasons for the recent push on the Arabian Peninsula.

The bulk of spending in the region is to come from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. In terms of spending, Saudi Arabia is taking the lead in the region with Israel in second place, the latter being expected to disburse some $13 billion by the end of 2009, according to the report.

defence.professionals | defpro.com
 

Sridhar

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Saudis eyeing more than Russian choppers

BY :UPI
As Russia closes in on a $2 billion deal to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, reports reveal Riyadh’s shopping list could include more than combat helicopters.
“All technical and financial issues have been practically coordinated,” an undisclosed source privy to the negotiations told the Moscow-based Interfax news agency.
The source did not elaborate or refer to the military equipment Saudi Arabia is eyeing from Russia.
Still, the major deal with Rosoboronexport State Corp., Russia’s state-owned arms export monopoly, is said to include up to 30 Mi-35 attack helicopters and up to 120 Mi-171B, the export take of the popular Mi-17 Hip multipurpose helicopter.
Defense analysts say the deal also consists of some 150 T-90s main battle tanks and about 250 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles. Russia’s state-of-the-art S-400 triumph missile system was also on the Riyadh’s charts.
“It took Saudi specialists and experts quite a while to study the opportunities of the Russian arms before they decided to buy them for their nation’s armed forces,” Pravda reported from Moscow.
With Saudi Arabia spearheading the [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Middle [/COLOR][COLOR=blue ! important]East[/COLOR][/COLOR] arms race, the country’s defense spending is forecast to increase next year to $44 billion.
The lucrative arms deal breaks the United States’ decades-long stronghold on Saudi Arabia’s arms purchases. Meantime, Russia is bent on tapping into new arms markets.
Its arms industry is one of the most successful sectors of the country’s economy despite widespread budget cuts in the wake of the global economic recession.
Defense experts say Russia’s S-400 missile system is unrivaled in the West, having outflanked the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot.
The system — considered also by Turkey, Egypt and Iran — features twice the target range of the Patriot, capable of intercepting and knocking down airborne targets at distances of up to 250 miles, according to the Defense Professionals Web site.
It was not immediately known how many S-400 systems had been ordered from Russia, although the Interfax agency said Saudi Arabia was interested in purchasing “several dozen.” Defense experts believe that the system is also capable of thwarting cruise and ballistic missile attacks as well as those waged by most stealth aircraft.
Each S-400 system includes at least eight launchers, 32 missiles and a mobile command post.
However successful, the estimated $2 billion weapons deal would make Russia’s T-90 the highest selling combat vehicle, “showing again that the days of U.S. and European domination over new production are long gone in the international market for main battle tanks,” Defense Professionals reported.
It said the BMP-3 infantry combat vehicle was also on Saudi Arabia’s Russian arms shopping list.
Although first built in 1987, the BMP-3 — nicknamed Troika — has gained fresh prominence in the market with nations seeking a state-of-the-art system in combination with heavy armor and protection, Defense Professionals said on its Web site.
Saudi Arabia’s neighbors Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have already integrated the BMP-3 into their armed forces.


Saudis eyeing more than Russian choppers IDRW.ORG
 

K Factor

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Could be a tit-for-tat strategy to undermine US as the US has been criticizing S. Arabia's human rights record a lot lately.
Subtle way of showing them the middle finger now that the threat from Saddam Hussain is no more.
 

Soham

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Subtle way of showing them the middle finger now that the threat from Saddam Hussain is no more.
:rofl:
Also, Saudi's can squeeze the Americans for oil. :wink:

On a sidenote,
Thats a huge deal ! :eek:
 

ahmedsid

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Could be a tit-for-tat strategy to undermine US as the US has been criticizing S. Arabia's human rights record a lot lately.
Subtle way of showing them the middle finger now that the threat from Saddam Hussain is no more.
The americans been critiscizing all their allies, but they rarely do anything. Its just lip service. Their words dont mean a thing.

The Russians have pulled off a coup if this materialises soon. I mean, for a country used to the Western tech, going for Russian shows that the Russians are not that behind. The Saudis know American arms inside out, and for them to consider the T90 a good option for their armed forces says a lot!!!
 

K Factor

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The americans been critiscizing all their allies, but they rarely do anything. Its just lip service. Their words dont mean a thing.

The Russians have pulled off a coup if this materialises soon. I mean, for a country used to the Western tech, going for Russian shows that the Russians are not that behind. The Saudis know American arms inside out, and for them to consider the T90 a good option for their armed forces says a lot!!!

Ahmed, its not that simple.

Saddam, when he was alive was aligned with Russia, and so in order to counter him, Saudis had to go to America's doorstep and S.Arabia being the world's largest reservoir of oil, America happily obliged.

BUT.

USA has always been pro-Israel, and most ME states view this in bad light.
So now that the threat from Saddam Hussain is no more, a political re-alignment was on the cards. In the future, we may see a lot more criticism amied towards America for its pro-Israel stance. Not that it matters, but mayb just to please and satisfy their populace.

AND

Dont forget higher price for the world largest consumer of oil, as Soham pointed out. :wink:
 

1.44

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Saudis eyeing more than Russian choppers

As Russia closes in on a $2 billion deal to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, reports reveal Riyadh's shopping list could include more than combat helicopters.
"All technical and financial issues have been practically coordinated," an undisclosed source privy to the negotiations told the Moscow-based Interfax news agency.

The source did not elaborate or refer to the military equipment Saudi Arabia is eyeing from Russia.

Still, the major deal with Rosoboronexport State Corp., Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly, is said to include up to 30 Mi-35 attack helicopters and up to 120 Mi-171B, the export take of the popular Mi-17 Hip multipurpose helicopter.

Defense analysts say the deal also consists of some 150 T-90s main battle tanks and about 250 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles. Russia's state-of-the-art S-400 triumph missile system was also on the Riyadh's charts.

"It took Saudi specialists and experts quite a while to study the opportunities of the Russian arms before they decided to buy them for their nation's armed forces," Pravda reported from Moscow.

With Saudi Arabia spearheading the Middle East arms race, the country's defense spending is forecast to increase next year to $44 billion.

The lucrative arms deal breaks the United States' decades-long stronghold on Saudi Arabia's arms purchases. Meantime, Russia is bent on tapping into new arms markets.

Its arms industry is one of the most successful sectors of the country's economy despite widespread budget cuts in the wake of the global economic recession.

Defense experts say Russia's S-400 missile system is unrivaled in the West, having outflanked the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot.

The system -- considered also by Turkey, Egypt and Iran -- features twice the target range of the Patriot, capable of intercepting and knocking down airborne targets at distances of up to 250 miles, according to the Defense Professionals Web site.

It was not immediately known how many S-400 systems had been ordered from Russia, although the Interfax agency said Saudi Arabia was interested in purchasing "several dozen." Defense experts believe that the system is also capable of thwarting cruise and ballistic missile attacks as well as those waged by most stealth aircraft.

Each S-400 system includes at least eight launchers, 32 missiles and a mobile command post.

However successful, the estimated $2 billion weapons deal would make Russia's T-90 the highest selling combat vehicle, "showing again that the days of U.S. and European domination over new production are long gone in the international market for main battle tanks," Defense Professionals reported.

It said the BMP-3 infantry combat vehicle was also on Saudi Arabia's Russian arms shopping list.

Although first built in 1987, the BMP-3 -- nicknamed Troika -- has gained fresh prominence in the market with nations seeking a state-of-the-art system in combination with heavy armor and protection, Defense Professionals said on its Web site.

Saudi Arabia's neighbors Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have already integrated the BMP-3 into their armed forces.

Saudis eyeing more than Russian choppers
 

bhramos

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pls brothers none answered my question???
250 BMP-3's what's their use in a desert?
actually BMP-3's r amphibious armoured personal carriers, what's their use in deserts???
 

shankarosky

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control of the gulf -crossing over to baharain -bmp3 can be used any way you deem fit - who knows what saudis are planning with such massive armor and air defense purchase -good for the russian arms industry -flanking attack on kuwait -possibilities
 

Soham

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control of the gulf -crossing over to baharain -bmp3 can be used any way you deem fit - who knows what saudis are planning with such massive armor and air defense purchase -good for the russian arms industry -flanking attack on kuwait -possibilities
:s
Flanking attack ? What's that supposed to mean ?
They are strong allies and cooperate within OPEC and the GCC.
 

ahmedsid

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Actually I feel Saudis are buying defensive Weapons, and Not offensive kind. I mean they are gearing up for any eventuality in which their Air Space is violated, and they have to respond. On Paper, the Saudis have an Air Force on Par with the Israelis, and Training wise too, they have improved leaps and bounds from the previous times in which they just had the goodies and none to operate. This has changed.

Kuwait and Saudi dont see eye to eye in person, and dislike each other. During the Gulf War, the Kuwait king and family were at loggerheads with the Royal Family of Saudi on a daily basis, on many issues, even Trivial, ego clashes. But Saudi wont attack any country per se. I feel they are content with what they got, and what they got is pretty BIG :)
 

Soham

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Kuwait and Saudi dont see eye to eye in person, and dislike each other. During the Gulf War, the Kuwait king and family were at loggerheads with the Royal Family of Saudi on a daily basis, on many issues, even Trivial, ego clashes. But Saudi wont attack any country per se. I feel they are content with what they got, and what they got is pretty BIG :)
Kuwait's possession of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands is also a source of dispute.
But both sides possess west manufactured weapons and are close allies through the economic paradigm, so conflict seems to be the least beneficial way-out for either side.
 

ahmedsid

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Kuwait's possession of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands is also a source of dispute.
But both sides possess west manufactured weapons and are close allies through the economic paradigm, so conflict seems to be the least beneficial way-out for either side.
Kuwait is no match for Saudi, I mean Kuwait will be overwhelmed I feel. Like you said, its not beneficial for either side!
 

Soham

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Kuwait is no match for Saudi, I mean Kuwait will be overwhelmed I feel. Like you said, its not beneficial for either side!
Very right. Its going to be a walkover for Saudi Forces.
Kuwait has nothing impressive except the 218 M1A2 Abrams.
 

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