| Royal Saudi Air Force | |
|---|---|
| القوات الجوية الملكية السعودية | |
 Badge of the Royal Saudi Air Force | |
| Founded | |
| Country |
|
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 30,000 personnel 1,088 total aircraft[2] |
| Part of |  Saudi Armed Forces |
| Nickname | Saudi Falcons |
| Mottos | الله أكبر;allah 'akbar (God is the greatest) |
| Engagements | |
| Website | Official website |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-chief |  KingSalman |
| Chairman of the General Staff |  Air Chief MarshalFayyadh Al Ruwaili |
| Minister of Defense |  Khalid bin Salman |
| Commander of Royal Air Force |  Lieutenant GeneralTurki bin Bandar |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | .svg) |
| Roundel |  |
| Low Visibility roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Electronic warfare | E-3 Sentry,Saab 2000 AEW&C |
| Fighter | Panavia Tornado,Eurofighter Typhoon,F-15C/D,F-15S/SA |
| Helicopter | Bell 412,AS532,UH-60 |
| Reconnaissance | Panavia Tornado,King Air 350 |
| Trainer | Pilatus PC-21A,PAC MFI-395,Cirrus SR22,BAE Hawk |
| Transport | C-130H,C-130J,Airbus A330 MRTT |
TheRoyal Saudi Air Force (RSAF;Arabic:الْقُوَّاتُ الْجَوِّيَّةُ الْمَلَكِيَّةْ ٱلسُّعُوْدِيَّة,romanized: Al-Quwwat Al-Jawiyah Al-Malakiyah as-Su’udiyah) is theaviation branch of theSaudi Arabian Armed Forces.
The Royal Saudi Air Force currently has wings, squadrons, and a special forces unit dedicated tocombat search and rescue.
The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability, and maintains the second largest fleet ofF-15 Eagles after theUSAF.
The backbone of the RSAF is currently the F-15 Eagle, with thePanavia Tornado also forming a major component. The Tornado and many other aircraft were delivered under theAl-Yamamah contracts withBritish Aerospace (nowBAE Systems).
The RSAF ordered various weapons in the 1990s, includingSea Eagleanti-ship missiles,laser-guided bombs andUnguided bombs. Al-Salam, a successor to the Al-Yamamah agreement will see 48Eurofighter Typhoons delivered by BAE.
.jpg)
The Royal Saudi Air Force was formed in the mid-1920s with British assistance from the remains of theHejaz Air Force.[4] It was initially equipped withWestland Wapiti IIA general purpose aircraft flown by pilots who had servedAli of Hejaz but had been pardoned by the Saudi king.[5]
Following a contract with the British government, which was concluded in 1937, amilitary airstrip at Jeddah was established in 1939. The military airstrip was where the Air Force was stationed. In 1949, a group of aviation students were sent to study in England, after completing training at Al-Houba. By 1950, a second group of students were sent. The Air Force was re-organized in 1950 and began to receive American assistance from 1952 including the use ofDhahran Airfield by theUnited States Air Force. In 1951, the group of aviation students returned to form the Royal Saudi Air Force. On November 5, 1952, the Air Force’s flag was raised at a military hangar in Jeddah Airport, which was attended by His Royal HighnessPrince Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defense and Aviation at the time. Shortly afterwards, Air Force schools begun opening around the kingdom. Early aircraft used by the RSAF included theCaproni Ca.100,Albatros D.III,Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8,Farman MF.11Airco DH.9,dH 82 Tiger Moth,Westland Wapiti,Avro Anson,Douglas C-47, and theDouglas B-26 Invader.In 1957, the Royal Saudi Air Force begun major developments, including the establishments of 5 Squadrons, all based at Jeddah Airport. The transportation squadron was equipped with Douglas C-54 Skymasters and Fokker S-13s. The No.2 Squadron was equipped with Douglas B-26 Invaders and the No.5 Squadron was equipped with 20De Havilland Vampires.[6]
As part of theMagic Carpet arms deal between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, four single-seatHawker Hunter F.6s and two Hunter T.7s were ordered from Hawker in 1966. The aircraft were delivered to No. 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt Airbase in May 1966. Although the Hunters were operational, following attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian Air Force they were not a success as interceptors as they lacked any ground control but were used for ground attack. One single-seat aircraft was lost in 1967 and the remaining aircraft were presented to Jordan in 1968.
The Saudi forces are equipped with mainly western equipment. Main suppliers to the RSAF are companies based in theUnited Kingdom and the United States. Both the UK and the US are involved in training programs conducted in Saudi Arabia.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the armed forces of Saudi Arabia were relatively small by Middle Eastern standards. Its strength however was derived from advanced technology. The backbone of the strike / ground attack force is formed by ca 70Tornados (a second batch of 48 Tornado IDS were ordered in 1993 under theal-Yamamah II program), and 72 F-15S aircraft delivered from the mid-1990s that operate beside the remnants of more than 120 F-15C/D aircraft delivered starting in 1981. Pilot training is executed on thePilatus PC-21 andBAE Hawk. The C-130 Hercules is the mainstay of the transport fleet and is assisted byCN-235s andRaytheon King Air 350 light transports. Reconnaissance is performed by Tornadoes and F-15s equipped with the DJRP electro-optical reconnaissance pod. The Boeing E-3A is the Airborne Early Warning platform operated byNo. 18 Squadron RSAF.
The VIP support fleet consists of a wide variety of civil registered aircraft such as theAirbus A330,Airbus A320,737 and747,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).
From 1989 to 1991 threeLockheed C-130 Hercules of the RSAF weredestroyed in accidents.
The September 1991 issue ofAir Forces Monthly lists Nos 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Tornado IDS), 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 29 Squadron (Dhahran with Tornado ADVs); 34, 37, 42, and 66 Squadrons.[7]
The Al Yamamah contract was controversial because of the alleged bribes associated with its award. Nonetheless, the RSAF announced its intention to purchase theTyphoon fromBAE Systems in December 2005. On 18 August 2006, amemorandum of understanding was signed for 72 aircraft in aGB£6–10 billion deal.[8] The Ef2000 was part of a reveloutinary cross program including France, Spain, and Germany. In the end France left the building of the Ef2000 and later built the Rafel.Following this order, the investigation of the Al Yamamah contract was suppressed by the British prime ministerTony Blair in December 2006, citing "strategic interests" of the UK. On 17 September 2007 Saudi Arabia announced it had signed a £4.4bn deal with BAE Systems for 72 Typhoons.[9]
On 29 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.[10]
On 23 May 2012, the British defence firm BAE Systems agreed to sell 22BAE 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.[11] In April 2013, BAE Systems delivered the first two new Typhoons of 24 to Saudi Arabia.
In 2013, the USAF tendered an offer for security services to protect the Saudi air force from cyberwarfare attacks.[12]
In March 2021, RSAF started a joint military exercise, that will last until April 10, with the US and Pakistani Air Forces that will help in exchanging experiences and expertise.[13]
.jpg)
The RSAF is divided into nine Wings that are dispersed across seven Air Bases:
Other Squadrons:
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Previous aircraft operated included theF-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]
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest countries that owns unmanned aerial vehicles, including attack, surveillance, and reconnaissance. In 2012, Saudi Arabia purchased 50 ItalianSelex Galileo Falco drones. In 2014, Saudi Arabia signed a contract with China to purchaseWing Loong drones, and Saudi Arabia has more to receive so far.
In April 2013, Saudi Arabia announced its desire to buy 6 TurkishTAI 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 theKing Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. The project was calledSaqr, 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 thePrince Sultan Advanced Technology Research Institute atKing 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 projectLuna, manufacturing hundreds of them for the Saudi armed forces. Saudi Arabia also entered a joint venture with South Africa to manufacture theSeeker 400UCAV.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia and Baykar has signed a contract forAKINCI 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.”[22]
| Defense | |
|---|---|
| Guard | |
| Security | |
| Academy | |
.svg)
