Saudis mull Typhoon in Gulf arms buildup

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 23 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia is reportedly discussing the purchase of more combat aircraft from Britain and the United States as tensions in the Gulf region escalate over the political convulsions gripping Iran.

The Sunni-dominated Arab states that occupy the western shore of the Gulf opposite the Shiite-ruled Islamic Republic are all to one degree or another building up their defense capabilities amid growing fears of Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The re-election of Iran's firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with the clear backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hard-line conservatives in the ruling elite, has only fueled those fears, particularly in Riyadh, Iran's rival as the dominant power in the strategic Gulf region over the last 40 years.

"Suspicions that Iran is seeking to tip the regional balance of power are pushing the region toward a level of militarization not witnessed since the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war," Jane's Foreign Report, published in London, noted recently.

The centerpiece of this arms buildup is a $20 billion U.S. package of weapons systems and logistical support to Saudi Arabia and its partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council -- the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain -- announced by the George W. Bush administration in January 2008.

The package of aircraft, armor, naval missiles, Patriot air-defense missile batteries and other systems is specifically intended to bolster Arab defenses over 10 years against an expansionist Iran and to counter its military procurement.

It includes the sale of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions -- satellite-guided bombs -- valued at $123 million.

For years the Americans refused to provide these precision-guided weapons to Arab states because of strident objections by Israel, which had been receiving them since the mid-1990s as part of Washington's policy of maintain the Jewish state's military superiority over its Arab adversaries.

But Israel's own concerns about Iran's development of ballistic missiles and its nuclear program, and the promise of U.S. weapons worth $30 billion, stilled Israeli objections.

According to aviation industry sources, the Saudis are intensifying their efforts to buy advanced combat aircraft and are discussing doubling the purchase of 72 Eurofighter Typhoons and have held exploratory talks with Boeing to acquire more F-15S Eagles, customized for the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Riyadh's objective is to acquire up to 100 strike jets to upgrade its fleet of 276 frontline aircraft.

It bought 72 Typhoons from the Eurofighter consortium -- comprising Britain's BAE Systems, Finmeccanica of Italy and the Netherlands-based European Aeronautics Defense and Space Co. -- in 2006. The first of those aircraft are currently being delivered to partially replace Anglo-German-Italian Tornado strike jets the kingdom purchased in the 1980s.

Officials at Eurofighter and Boeing have declined comment on the reports. But Boeing, finding its civil aviation sales nose-diving because of the global recession, is looking to military aircraft sales to see it through. In particular, it is seeking partners to help fund development of a new variant of the F-15, a stealth version dubbed "Silent Eagle."

In the meantime, Lockheed Martin announced June 15 that it signed a contract to provide the Saudi air force with AN/AAQ-33 Sniper advanced targeting pods. These provide long-range identification of targets and real-time targeting for weapons.

The pods, provided under the Congress-approved Foreign Military Sales program, had been considered part of the 2007 package. Acquiring them is the first phase of a multiyear, $100 million modernization program for the Saudi air force.

Kuwait, meanwhile, has signed a $61 million contract with Mississippi-based United States Marine Inc. to build 10 Mk-V patrol boats, to be delivered by late 2013. The 90-foot craft are designed for coastal patrol and interdiction. The U.S. company is also building patrol and special operations craft for Oman and Bahrain.