EADS to boost Saudi border security

PARIS, July 2 (UPI) -- The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. has won a multibillion-dollar contract to improve Saudi Arabia's border security.

"After being under contract for the northern border security, which is now under execution, EADS Defense & Security has been awarded (as prime contractor) the border security program covering the full borders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the European military giant said in a statement. "This contract will be executed in the next 5 years and is the largest contract ever competed worldwide as a full solution."

French weekly Le Point said the contract was signed in the presence of the Saudi interior minister earlier this week in Jeddah, the summer headquarters of the Saudi government. The weekly reports the deal is worth around $2.8 billion.

"We are committed to dedicate all our capacities and capabilities to deliver this program on time and in the quality our customer expects. That includes also long-term investments in the country," said Stefan Zoller, chief executive officer of EADS Defense & Security.

EADS won a bidding competition that lasted 13 years against rivals including Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon, Britain's BAE Systems and French military company Thales.

The job is part of a large Saudi plan to boost security amid ongoing violence in neighboring Iraq and the region as a whole. The world's biggest oil producer aims to increase the number of radar stations and electronic surveillance and command centers along its nearly 5,600 miles of mountain, desert and sea borders.

"The solution will ensure border coverage is visible and managed at the sector level, whilst simultaneously providing situational awareness at the regional and national level," EADS said.

In March, the Europeans had already scored a deal to boost security at Saudi Arabia's 560-mile frontier with Iraq. EADS banks on border security as a key growth sector of the future.

With a total workforce of around 118,000, EADS generated $60 billion in revenues in 2008.