Saudis eye Russian air defence system

[Neo]

Saudis eye Russian air defence system

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is weighing buying an advanced Russian missile system to shore up its defence against a potentially nuclear Iran, Gulf analysts and diplomats said.

They said Moscow and Riyadh are close to sealing a deal on a multi-billion-dollar weapons package that could include Russia’s advanced S-400 missile defence system. It is the newest version of the S-300 long-range surface to air missile system that Moscow has been in discussion for several years to sell to Iran, which denies Western charges of aiming to become a nuclear power.

But heavy Western and Israeli pressure and a possibly more lucrative deal with Riyadh have persuaded Moscow not to go through with that sale to Tehran, diplomats in the Gulf said on condition of anonymity. “The Saudis would rather this weapon system not be sold to Iran or Syria,” another possible buyer, said Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

The S-400 missile defence system could be a part of a much larger deal with Russia that would signify an important diversification of Saudi arms purchasing from its traditional suppliers – Britain, France and the United States. On August 29, Russia’s Interfax news agency said a two-billion-dollar arms package for the Saudis could include up to 150 helicopters – 30 Mi-35 attack helicopters and up to 120 Mi-17 transport helicopters – more than 150 T-90S tanks, 250 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and “several dozen” air defence systems. Contracts for the sale of the tanks and the helicopters “could be signed as soon as this year”, an unnamed source told Interfax. With the S-400, and a reported plan to buy new US F-15 fighters, the Saudis are seeking to plug gaps in their overall defence capabilities vis-a-vis Iran, Karasik said. afp

[Neo]

[Neo]

Saudis eyeing more than Russian choppers

As Russia closes in on a $2 billion deal to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, reports reveal Riyadh's shopping list could include more than combat helicopters. "All technical and financial issues have been practically coordinated," an undisclosed source privy to the negotiations told the Moscow-based Interfax news agency. The source did not elaborate or refer to the military equipment Saudi Arabia is eyeing from Russia.

Still, the major deal with Rosoboronexport State Corp., Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly, is said to include up to 30 Mi-35 attack helicopters and up to 120 Mi-171B, the export take of the popular Mi-17 Hip multipurpose helicopter.

Defense analysts say the deal also consists of some 150 T-90s main battle tanks and about 250 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles. Russia's state-of-the-art S-400 triumph missile system was also on the Riyadh's charts. "It took Saudi specialists and experts quite a while to study the opportunities of the Russian arms before they decided to buy them for their nation's armed forces," Pravda reported from Moscow.

With Saudi Arabia spearheading the Middle East arms race, the country's defense spending is forecast to increase next year to $44 billion. The lucrative arms deal breaks the United States' decades-long stronghold on Saudi Arabia's arms purchases. Meantime, Russia is bent on tapping into new arms markets. Its arms industry is one of the most successful sectors of the country's economy despite widespread budget cuts in the wake of the global economic recession.

Defense experts say Russia's S-400 missile system is unrivaled in the West, having outflanked the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot. The system -- considered also by Turkey, Egypt and Iran -- features twice the target range of the Patriot, capable of intercepting and knocking down airborne targets at distances of up to 250 miles, according to the Defense Professionals Web site.

It was not immediately known how many S-400 systems had been ordered from Russia, although the Interfax agency said Saudi Arabia was interested in purchasing "several dozen." Defense experts believe that the system is also capable of thwarting cruise and ballistic missile attacks as well as those waged by most stealth aircraft. Each S-400 system includes at least eight launchers, 32 missiles and a mobile command post.

However successful, the estimated $2 billion weapons deal would make Russia's T-90 the highest selling combat vehicle, "showing again that the days of U.S. and European domination over new production are long gone in the international market for main battle tanks," Defense Professionals reported. It said the BMP-3 infantry combat vehicle was also on Saudi Arabia's Russian arms shopping list.

Although first built in 1987, the BMP-3 -- nicknamed Troika -- has gained fresh prominence in the market with nations seeking a state-of-the-art system in combination with heavy armor and protection, Defense Professionals said on its Web site. Saudi Arabia's neighbors Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have already integrated the BMP-3 into their armed forces.

[LETHALFORCE]

saudis are buying this in a rumored deal to prevent Iran from obtaining it. But China is reportedly
looking to sell Iran hq-9. USA may also be playing a major role to prevent Iran from getting s300 and working with the saudis in the deal, to prevent air defense capability against a possible US or Israeli attack?

Russia 'losing to China on Iran S-300 quest'

Russia 'losing to China on Iran S-300 quest'


Iran is reportedly seeking to buy a Chinese-made air defense system which is a variant of the Russian S-300.Press TV - In its quest for an advanced air defense system, Iran has reportedly shifted its hopes from Russia to China which owns a replica of the controversial Russian S-300.

As Iran's quest for the advanced Russian-made S-300 air defense system is believed to have hit rock bottom, a report by RIA Novosti said Tehran is eying a Chinese-made HQ-9 surface-to-air missile under the name FD-2000 -- recently put on the export market.

The HongQi-9/FD-2000 reportedly combines elements "borrowed" from Russia's S-300 and America's MIM-104 Patriot.

It uses elements of the Russian system's "solid rocket, aerodynamic layout, gas-dynamic spoilers, and launcher technologies, as well as some search and guidance systems."

The missile has a range of 7-125 kilometers for airborne targets -- a range much lower than the 150-kilometer range of the Russian S-300 PMU1.

The Chinese system's range for missile targets, or air-to-ground missiles, is 7-50 kilometers, with a firing altitude of 1-18 kilometers. Its range for cruise missiles is 7-15 kilometers, at a firing altitude of 0.025 kilometers.

The range for ballistic missiles is 7-25 kilometers at a firing altitude of 2-15 kilometers.

Iran has been negotiating a deal with Russia to obtain the sophisticated defense system since 2007. However, neither side has so far issued an official confirmation on the delivery of the S-300 to Iran.

Later media reports claimed that Russia's plan to turn a "new page" in its ties with the United States is likely to prompt Moscow to shelve the delivery of the S-300 system to Iran.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari, however, said in April that the contract to buy Russia's S-300 advance missile system is still effective.

"There are no problems with this [S-300] contract," RIA Novosti quoted Safari as saying at the end of his visit to Moscow.

"After all, these are purely defensive weapons, and any country has the right to buy them. I believe this could only worry those states that have plans to attack others," he said.

Following an escalation in Israeli rhetoric, Iran has moved to upgrade its defenses and has reportedly opted to acquire the S-300 system -- which, according to Western experts, would rule out the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iranian nuclear sites.

"If Tehran obtained the S-300, it would be a game-changer in military thinking for tackling Iran," says long-time Pentagon advisor Dan Goure.

The S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away, features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets.

Iran's move to equip itself with the Chinese air defense system comes as an earlier report by the Jerusalem Post revealed that Israeli missile operators have begun weekly drills to hone their skills for a war on Iran.

According to the report, Israeli Air Force (IAF) reservists who operate the ballistic missile destroyer, the Arrow, and the surface-to-air missile, Patriot, have been called up by the Defense Ministry to spend one day a week on duty to prepare for a possible conflict with Iran.

The weekly military drills come on top of another report revealing that Israel is set to mobilize its army to hold the largest military exercise in its history on June 2.

One of the missions of the nationwide military drill is to psych up the public for the breaking out of war and to convince the people that in the event of a war the entire country could "become a front without warning".

[duhastmish]

s-400 will be a great buy - its umatched defence system , i dont think even china have a reply to s-400.

if - saudi can get s-400 it will be a all win win scenario. and it will provide them an edge over their rivals.

[LETHALFORCE]

Saudis are traditionally a US weapon buyers for them to buy S-400 is a message to USA that they are not a permanent buyer . USA has to work harder than ever to compete recently Russia was also suppose to sell Turkey a NATO member.

Turkey hopes to buy S-400 air defense systems from Russia | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire

then they settled for the patriots in a recent massive deal

Pentagon backs massive missile sale to Turkey | Missiles & Bombs News at DefenceTalk

India was offered to produce S-500 with the Russians but they went with the israelis.