Panavia Tornado multirole combat aircraft of the Royal Saudi Air Force
The Royal Saudi Air Force is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabian armed forces. The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability. The RSAF maintains the third largest fleet of F-15s after the American and Japanese air forces.
The backbone of the RSAF is currently the Boeing F-15 Eagle, with the Panavia Tornado also forming a major component. The Tornado and many other aircraft were delivered under the Al Yamamah contracts with British Aerospace (now BAE Systems). The RSAF ordered various weapons in the 1990s, including Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles, laser-guided bombs and gravity bombs. Al-Salam, a successor to the Al Yamamah agreement will see 72 Eurofighter Typhoons delivered by BAE.
“The Saudi pilots training in Italy 1935″—a scene from ‘Our Eagles’, one of four video wall shows made for the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum.
The RSAF was formed in the mid-1920s with British assistance. It was re-organized in 1950 and began to receive American assistance from 1952 including the use of Dhahran Airfield by the United States Air Force.
The Saudi forces are equipped with mainly western hardware. Main suppliers are companies in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Both the UK and the US are involved in training programs conducted in Saudi Arabia.
Derelict RSAF T-28A Trojan, one of four acquired in the 1950s, at King Abdulaziz University
During the 1980s and 1990s, by Middle Eastern standards the armed forces of Saudi Arabia were relatively small. Its strength however was derived from advanced technology. The backbone of the fighter force is formed by 134 Tornados from which a batch of 48 Tornado IDS were ordered in 1993 under the al-Yamamah II program and 72 F-15S aircraft delivered from the mid-1990s that operate beside the more than 120 F-15C/D aircraft delivered starting in 1981. Aircraft training is executed on the Pilatus PC-9, BAe Hawk, Boeing F-15D Eagle and the Northrop F-5F Tiger II. The C-130 Hercules is the mainstay of the transport fleet and the Hercules is assisted by CASA CN-235s. Reconnaissance is performed by 17 Squadron with its RF-5E and the Boeing E-3A is the Airborne Early Warning platform operated by 18 Squadron.
English Electric Lightning T55 RSAF
The VIP support fleet consists of a wide variety of civil registered aircraft such as the Boeing 707, 737 and 747, Lockheed Tri-Stars, MD11s and G1159A as well as Lockheed L-100-30. The HZ- prefix used in the civilian registrations of these aircraft derived from the former name of the territory (Hejaz).
RSAF Tornado F3 during Operation Desert Storm Feb1991
The Al Yamamah contract was controversial because of the alleged bribes associated with its award. Nonetheless, the RSAF announced its intention to purchase the Typhoon from BAE Systems in December 2005. On 18th August 2006 a memorandum of understanding was signed for 72 aircraft in a GB£6–10 billion deal.
Following this order, the investigation of the Al Yamamah contract was suppressed by the British Prime minister Tony Blair in December 2006, citing “strategic interests” of the UK. On 17th September 2007 Saudi Arabia announced it had signed a £4.4bn deal with BAE Systems for 72 Typhoons.
RSAF Typhoon fighter near Malta International
On 29th December 2011, the United States signed a $29.4 billion deal to sell 84 F-15s in the SA (Saudi Advanced) configuration. The sale includes upgrades for the older F-15s up to the SA standard and related equipment and services.
A Panavia Tornado IDS arrives for RIAT 94
On 23rd May 2012, the British defence firm BAE Systems agreed to sell 22 BAE Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force for a total of £1.9 billion ($3 billion). The deal also included simulators, ground and training equipment and spares. In April 2013, BAE Systems delivered the first two new Typhoons of 24 to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Hawks Aerobatic Display Team, part of the Royal Saudi Air Force
The RSAF units are divided into Wings that are dispersed across the seven air bases:
RSAF Wing 1 at King Khalid Air Base, Khamis Mushait
RSAF Wing 2 at King Fahad Air Base, Taif
RSAF Wing 3 at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran
RSAF Wing 4 at King Khalid Military City, Hafar Al-Batin
RSAF Wing 5 at King Khalid Air Base, Khamis Mushait
RSAF Wing 6 at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj
RSAF Wing 7 at King Faisal Air Base, Tabuk
RSAF Wing 8 at King Abdullah Air Base, Jeddah
RSAF Wing 11 at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran
Royal Saudi Air Force – F-15SA Strike Eagle Multi-Role Fighter
Units of the RSAF
1 Squadron (Royal Flight/BBJ&HS125)
2 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D)
3 Squadron (Eurofighter Typhoon)
4 Squadron (C-130)
5 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D)
6 Squadron (F-15S)
7 Squadron (Tornado IDS)
8 Squadron (The Mushshak)
9 Squadron (PC-9)
10 Squadron (Eurofighter Typhoon)
First of 44 new-generation Hawks delivered Riyadh
11 Squadron (Royal Flight/G-IV&CE550)
12 Squadron (Bell 212)
13 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D)
14 Squadron (Helicopters)
15 Squadron (OUT SERVICE)
16 Squadron (C-130)
18 Squadron (E-3/KE-3A)
19 Squadron (RE-3A)
21 Squadron (BAE Hawk)
22 Squadron (PC-9)
24 Squadron (A330 MRTT)
25 Squadron (Bell 412)
29 Squadron (Tornado ADV to be replaced with the F-15SA)
30 Squadron (Helicopters)
Hawk Mk.65 21. and 37. Squadron, Dhahran
32 Squadron (KC-130H And KC-130J)
33 Squadron (Royal Medical Flight)
34 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D)
35 Squadron (Jetstream)
37 Squadron (BAE HAWK)
42 Squadron (F-15C AND F-15D)
44 Squadron (Bell 412)
55 Squadron (F-15S)
66 Squadron (Tornado IDS)
75 Squadron (Tornado IDS)
79 Squadron (BAE Hawk)
80 Squadron (Eurofighter Typhoon)
83 Squadron (Tornado IDS)
88 Squadron (Hawk)
92 Squadron (F-15S)
99 Squadron (Cougar)
Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 Eagle
Retired Aircraft
Previous aircraft operated included the F-86F Sabre, dH 100 Vampire FB.52, BAC Strikemaster Mk 80, DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk 10, C-54A Skymaster, C-123B Provider, T-6A Texan, T-33A Shooting Star, Cessna 310, O-1 Bird Dog, T-35A Buckaroo, T-34A Mentor, OH-58A Kiowa, T-28A Trojan, F-5 Tiger II, Lockheed JetStar, dH Comet 4C (VIP transport), BAe 146, Alouette III, BAC Lightning[20][21]
Drones
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest countries that owns unmanned aerial vehicles, including attack, surveillance, and reconnaissance. In 2012, Saudi Arabia purchased 50 Italian Selex Galileo Falco drones. In 2014, Saudi Arabia signed a contract with China to purchase Wing Loong drones, and Saudi Arabia has more to receive so far.
In April 2013, Saudi Arabia announced its desire to buy 6 Turkish TAI Anka drones, however these efforts fell through.
Saudi Arabia has pursued projects to manufacture national drones, the first of which was in 2012, when Saudi Arabia announced a program to manufacture drones in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. The project was called Saqr, and 3 new models of the drone have been introduced. Saudi Arabia also announced a new drone called Samoom, the Saudi crown prince showcased the new drone to the Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah As-Sisi during which he showed significant interest in it.
Saudi Arabia also announced in 2021 that it will start producing a high capability drone called SkyGuard. It also established a laboratory for robotic vehicle research at the Prince Sultan Advanced Technology Research Institute at King Saud University. The laboratory aims to build and transfer technology in the field of smart vehicles of all kinds, such as unmanned aircraft, autonomous land vehicles, and others. The laboratory has manufactured many unmanned aircraft, and the aircraft are still undergoing research and development.
Saudi Arabia has started technology transfer projects and joint ventures with countries to manufacture drones. The General organization for Military Industries obtained a license to manufacture the German drone project Luna, manufacturing hundreds of them for the Saudi armed forces. Saudi Arabia also entered a joint venture with South Africa to manufacture the Seeker 400 UCAV.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia and Baykar has signed a contract for AKINCI UCAV export. The amount was not declared but hinted that it is the biggest export at once. SSB President Görgün, who made a statement about the contract in question, said, “The largest Turkish defence industry export, made at once, is over three billion dollars.”
A formation of four RSAF Tornado IDS. (Image credit: Fahad Rihan via Mohamed bin Khalid)
Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Tornado GR.1 7507, 75th Sqn., RSAF, Coningsby AB, 2013
Check out the latest Royal Saudi 1/72nd scale Tornado from Hobbymaster available to pre-order from Flying Tigers. Please click on the image/ link below to go straight to the model page to order yours now.
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Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.
Richard
Flying Tigers.
