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[johnslat]

"With $30 Billion Arms Deal, U.S. Bolsters Saudi Ties

Fortifying one of its crucial allies in the Persian Gulf, the Obama administration announced a major weapons deal with Saudi Arabia on Thursday, saying it had agreed to sell F-15 fighter jets valued at nearly $30 billion to the Royal Saudi Air Force.

The agreement is part of a broader 10-year, $60 billion arms package for Saudi Arabia that Congress approved a year ago. But its timing is laden with significance, with tensions over Iran mounting and the United States pulling its last soldiers out of Iraq.

It could also indicate that the chill between the United States and Saudi Arabia has thawed since the two longtime allies clashed over how each handled the Arab Spring.

The administration announced the sale during a week when Iranian officials threatened to close the strategically vital Straits of Hormuz in response to indications that the United States planned to impose tough sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

Saudi Arabia has long opposed Iran�s ambitions in the region � and the two countries� relationship that soured further after the United States broke up what it said was an Iranian-backed plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Under the terms of the new weapons agreement, the United States will sell Saudi Arabia 84 F-15SA jets manufactured by the Boeing Corporation and upgrade 70 F-15�s in the Saudi fleet with munitions and parts. Washington will also offer help with training, maintenance and logistics.

�The agreement reinforces the strong and enduring relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a strong Saudi defense capability as a key component to regional security,� said Joshua R. Earnest, the deputy press secretary, in a statement issued in Hawaii, where Mr. Obama is vacationing with his family.

With the United States withdrawing its last troops from Iraq last week, the administration has been eager to demonstrate that it will remain a presence in the Middle East and Persian Gulf. It is pushing ahead with weapons sales to Iraq, even though internal political frictions there are deepening.

The sale to Saudi Arabia may also suggest that the two countries have decided to move past their public disagreement this year when political upheavals swept the Arab world.

The Saudis were angry that President Obama withdrew support for Egypt�s embattled president, Hosni Mubarak, after he faced large-scale protests in Cairo and other major cities. Mr. Mubarak was a longtime ally of Saudi Arabia and of the United States.

Later, it was the White House�s turn to be upset, when Saudi tanks rolled into in neighboring Bahrain in a show of support for that kingdom�s Sunni monarchy.

But Saudi Arabia and the United States continue to collaborate in areas like counterterrorism. In recent weeks, the two have worked to resolve the crisis in Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh has formally agreed to cede power in a Saudi-brokered agreement and has applied for a visa to travel to the United States for medical treatment."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/world/middleeast/with-30-billion-arms-deal-united-states-bolsters-ties-to-saudi-arabia.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Regards,
John

[2buckets]

I worked for the RSAF, (Royal Saudi Air Force) for several years.

My question is:Who is going to fly those sophisticated and demanding aircraft?

I guess they will be hiring mercenaries, because from my experience most of the locals aren't capable. (Only those who spent several years in the States doing training were good, but it's difficult to take these boys away from mommy and daddy for so long a period of time).

Best guess is they will be in place for Nato pilots to use in the event of a crises.

Of course maintenance will be done by Boeing with locals along side for "training", (when they deem to show up for work).

I recall an incident when a "trainee" was inside the cockpit to clean the interior surface of the canopy, (windscreen). He got to playing with buttons and levers and managed to fire the ejection seat, (fired by a 20mm canon charge).
Unfortunately he was in the hangar and the result was that the top of his head was fused to the ceiling of the hangar. Call in some TCNs to clean up the mess.

Aircraft were not flown without permission of a prince. Mostly these aircraft will probably sit in hangars and on flight-lines deteriorating in the heat and sandstorms.

I'm glad I have Boeing shares though.

[Imdramayu]

Yes, I've heard of folks training @ the major air force training company facing an uphill battle with getting the locals trained properly. It seems little wonder how June 1967 was a victory.

Hopefully, though, with Saudization and greater awareness, the new generation of locals will take up the slack and work hard. (yes, I am hopeful!)

Im

[It's Scary!]

Saudi air cadets are being trained up, as you write, at Randolph AFB, Texas...

It's the God's Honest Truth!