King Salman Inaugurates New F-15SA Aircraft
(Source: Arab News; posted Jan 25, 2017)
The first F-15SA for the Royal Saudi Air Force photographed during its acceptance tests near Lockheed Martin’s plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The first aircraft were delivered to Saudi Arabia in December. (Twitter photo)
The king, who was accompanied by Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, congratulated the 91st batch of students from the college.
The Commander of the King Faisal Air College, Air Vice Marshal Khalid Al-La'aboun delivered a speech in which he said: "Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of this great edifice where the beginning of training was launched by late King Faisal bin Abdulaziz by raising the banner of the College in this field honored to be named after him.”
After the honoring ceremony, the king and other dignitaries watched an airshow including a display by the Saudi Hawks team, who recently registered in the Guinness Book of world records for their performance depicting the Kingdom's logo — two swords and a palm.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: On October 20, 2010, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the planned sale of 84 F-15SA fighters, the upgrade of the existing Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) fleet of 70 F-15S fighters to the same F-15SA configuration, as well as a very large weapons package, for $29.4 billion.
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Royal Saudi Air Force Flies High with New Fighter Jets
(Source: Arab News; posted Jan 25, 2017)
King Salman will patronize the induction of the F-15SA into the RSAF during the 50th anniversary on Wednesday of the King Faisal Air Academy (KFAA). The event will also see the graduation of the academy’s 91st group of students.
Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has frequently spoken about boosting military and defense capabilities. The introduction of the F-15SA fighter aircraft into the air force is part of that goal.
In addition to boosting military and defense capabilities by upgrading the armed forces — notably those of the RSAF — Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that qualifying and training pilots and co-pilots, as well as improving the armed forces’ capabilities, would enable them to perform more efficiently.
The newly obtained F-15SA fighter aircraft are among the most advanced in the world.
The air force has received special attention from the country’s leadership since the early 1970s. The RSAF was, and is, involved in critical missions which have made it one of the most advanced air forces in the region.
The Kingdom’s strategic partners rely on Saudi participation in the war on terror and Saudi Arabia is seen as an influential, if not the most influential, partner in the region and the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia is a defender of neighboring Arab countries against potential aggression from destabilizing powers such as Iran.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia formed the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) which is made up of 40 Muslim countries. A fortnight ago, Riyadh hosted the chiefs of staff of 14 countries from the global coalition against Daesh in an attempt to improve and step up coordination.
Despite the turmoil in the Arab world since 2011, including in neighboring Iraq and Yemen, Saudi Arabia has been determined to constantly upgrade its armed forces, particularly the RSAF. Daesh and other terrorist and militant groups, some supported by Iran, are trying to take advantage of the turmoil to act against certain countries, including Saudi Arabia and its allies.
The Kingdom “has a particular importance in the region and the wider world,” said Sir John Jenkins, director of the Middle East Office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and former UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia. “This is partly because of its economic weight and its importance within Islam.”
There is also a realization that Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of the fight against violent extremism, he added.
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Saudi Arms Deals Proven to Contribute to the US Economy
(Source: Al Arabiya; posted Jan 24, 2017)
The kingdom is one of the biggest customers for US arms, making up to 10 percent of the total export in past years. In the last eight years, Saudi bought $115 billion worth of weapons from the US.
While the recent Saudi deal of F-15 Eagle with Boeing is worth more than $29 billion, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), revealed that Boeing is among the six American companies placed among the top eight global firms, based on defense-related revenues.
Boeing is ranked second with ($31 billion), while Lockheed Martin topped the list with $35 billion in arms sales, Raytheon ($22 billion), Northrop Grumman ($20 billion), and General Dynamics ($19 billion) ranked fourth through sixth, while United Technologies ($12 billion) took eighth position.
And according to the numbers the SIPRI report showed, the arms exports are not only meant to achieve national security and foreign policy goals, but also these sales deals can provide significant economic benefits as well, particularly for the workers and communities where production is located.
While the US economy benefits from such deals, Saudi Arabia is playing a vital role in preserving the US national security goals in the MENA region. The US and its European allies are crucially dependent on the Saudi role in the war on terror. The kingdom is seen as one of the most influential in the MENA region and the Islamic world, and is seen as the defender of neighboring Arab countries against potential aggressions
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