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Saudi Arabia has struck what the White House has called the “largest defence sales agreement in history”, agreeing a $142 billion deal that will include missiles, armoured vehicles and aircraft.
In a major boost for the kingdom’s armed forces and American defence companies, a significant part of the deal will be 1,000 advanced air-to-air missiles as well as 2,000 “precision kill system” rockets and will include upgrades to the Thaad (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) system and more Patriot PAC-3 air defence missiles.
The deal will also encompass new space capabilities, maritime and coast security as well as a modernisation programme for the land forces.
Saudi Arabia is also expected to purchase armed SeaGuardian drones that will allow it to step up patrols over the Arabian Gulf and C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft that are ideal for short landing strips in desert operations.
It is understood that the Saudi National Guard will receive a significant upgrade to its ageing equipment, including new eight-wheeled armoured vehicles, probably the highly effective US Strykers.
The agreement was announced towards the end of US President Donald Trump's tour of Saudi Arabia, before he headed to Qatar and the UAE.
There have been discussions about the potential for Lockheed's F-35 stealth jets, which Saudi Arabia has been interested in for years, but a deal to supply the platform is no longer imminent. Military expert Francis Tusa, editor of the Defence Eye website, said the deal would modernise the armed forces.
“This overall package should keep Saudi Arabia’s armed forces relevant and well-defended for a long time. They've always got an eye on Iran and there's never a time they're not going to be looking north.”
The package included “extensive training and support to build the capacity of the Saudi armed forces, including enhancement of Saudi service academies and military medical services,” the White House said. The agreement is part of a broader package that the White House said will total $600bn.
Air-to-air missiles
One thousand AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (Amraam) will be ordered in a deal with an estimated total cost of $3.5 billion. The AIM 120s are a highly capable “beyond visual range” missiles similar to the Chinese made PL-15 that is thought to have shot down at least one Indian air force Rafale jet last week.
It has a range of 160km, with a 20kg warhead, travels at Mach 4 and is capable of all-weather day or night operations.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that contributes to political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region,” the US's Defence Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) stated.
MQ-9B SeaGuardian
Designed to fly independently for more than 30 hours, the SeaGuardian will give Saudi Arabia’s armed forces not only excellent surveillance capabilities but the ability to strike at enemies if required.
With significantly improved power, the MQ-9B can carry eight Hellfire precision missiles or two Paveway-II 230kg bombs allowing strikes on targets of opportunity.
Circling at 12,000 metres, it has the ability to track Iranian shipping movements in the Gulf or potential Houthi drone attacks. However, the Reaper version of the $33 million aircraft has proven to be vulnerable to air defences with an estimated 15 US aircraft lost over Yemen since 2023.
Lightweight rockets
The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) are laser-guided lightweight rockets fired from either helicopters or fighters.
They have a range of up to 11km and a high speed of 1,000 metres per second. The 15kg weapon, the size of which means its warhead causes minimum collateral damage, costs $22,000 each. Saudi Arabia has ordered 2,000 of them, along with support systems.
“The proposed sale will improve the kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats and give it the ability to precisely engage targets with much less risk of collateral damage than other guided missile systems,” DSCA stated.
Stryker wheels
The armoured personnel carrier is eight-wheeled highly versatile and battle-proven weapon that has formed the backbone of US brigade combat teams for three decades.
The 18-tonne vehicle can carry nine soldiers and is armed with a .50 calibre heavy machinegun or can be mounted with a 105mm gun.
The first Stryker brigades were deployed in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and were also used in the Afghanistan campaign. They are still in use by US special forces in their fight against ISIS in northern Syria.
