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Riyadh is reportedly interested in JF-17 Thunder fighters jointly produced by China and Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly purchasing the JF-17 Thunder fighter, jointly produced by China and Pakistan.
According to a report by the World Tribune, the Saudi Ministry of Defense and the Royal Saudi Air Force are recently reviewing the JF-17 program and looking for partners. The report claims that Pakistan introduced the JF-17 fighter to Saudi Arabia with a generation-to-co-production move.
The offer reportedly came during Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Salman Bin Sultan’s stopover in Pakistan earlier this week. Prince Bin Sultan reportedly made a stopover in the JF-17 program to remain in the country.
The Diplomat may simply not verify the report, which the World Tribune says is based on interviews with “officials” without specifying nationality. World Tribune is a conservative online newspaper founded in the United States that focuses on exclusive and underreported foreign stories related to strategic matters. It was founded in 1998 through Robert Morton, former associate editor and editor-in-chief of The Washington Times, who has a history of reporting on alleged secret deals between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Some observers, according to the New Yorker, have questioned the credibility of the World Tribune.
If the report is accurate, it would constitute a potential significant strategic shift across Saudi Arabia, which has historically relied on U. S. and Western defense generation for its military needs. The Royal Saudi Air Force, for example, is largely organized around its large fleet of Boeing F-15 Eagles, which is also joined by some European fighters. As recently as September 2010, the United States announced an arms deal worth $60 billion with Saudi Arabia, which included the sale of 84 new F-15s and the modernization of 70 of Saudi Arabia’s existing aircraft. This is the largest gun sale in U. S. history.
In his new memoir, Robert Gates describes a 2010 assembly in which Saudi ruler King Abdullah agreed to a massive arms purchase. Gates said the king’s advisers were asking him to buy French or Russian planes, but King Abdullah opted for the U. S. planes because, according to Gates, “he saw this massive acquisition as an investment in a long-term strategic relationship with the United States, which will unite our militaries for decades to come. “
However, since then, relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated due to disagreements over Iran, Syria and Palestine. In October of last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that “the Saudis have told the United States that they are open to opportunities for their long-standing defense partnership, emphasizing that they will pursue smart weapons at a smart price. ” Then, shortly after the P5 and Iran signed an interim deal on the latter’s nuclear program in November, a Saud family adviser told reporters that Saudi Arabia was seeking Many believe the Saudi government sees Pakistan as a best strategic friend more reliable than the United States.
Pakistan, for its part, has long been looking for countries to buy the JF-17 in order to be able to pay the unit charge through the Pakistan Air Force for obtaining the aircraft.
As The Diplomat reported back in October, the Pakistani Air Force expects to begin exporting the aircraft this year. A report that ran in multiple Pakistani newspapers at the time said: “The Pakistan Air Force has been assigned [a] target of exporting 5 to 7 JF-17 Thunder planes next year and discussions in this regard are under way with Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Qatar and other friendly countries.”
Still, China and Pakistan have long struggled to find consumers for the JF-17, which China calls the FC-1. It’s not for lack of effort, as both countries have been aggressively marketing the aircraft in recent years. The global article stated that China was in negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Venezuela, while Pakistan was in talks with Turkey and Egypt. Later, he reported that Argentina and China were in talks on a joint agreement. Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro showed that Pakistan had presented his country with the JF-17, claiming that it was impressive for the American F-16.
Last month, when rolling out the Block-II JF-17 aircrafts, the project director, Air Vice Marshal Javaid Ahmad, said that “several countries in Central Asia, South America and Africa had shown interest in buying the new plane.”
Although Saudi Arabia is rarely mentioned in those reports, rumors circulate that Saudi Arabia is interested in the plane. Indian media, citing Russian industry publications, reported in 2010 that Russia had blocked sales of its RD-93 engines to China, fearing that the JF-17/FC-1 would compete in foreign markets with the Russian MiG-29.
Indian reports cite the Russian state monopoly on arms exports, Rosoboronexport (ROE), which said in a press release: “According to the bilateral intergovernmental agreement of November 2007, China allowed the re-export of the RD-93 as a component of the FC-1 fighter in Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Algeria.
Pakistani JF-17s make periodic refueling stops in Saudi Arabia.
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Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering purchasing the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet that was jointly produced by China and Pakistan.
According to a report in World Tribune, the Saudi Defense Ministry and Royal Saudi Air Force are reviewing the JF-17 program and considering becoming a partner in it. The report said that Pakistan had offered the JF-17 fighter to Saudi Arabia with technology transfer and co-production.
The offer apparently occurred when Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Salman Bin Sultan visited Pakistan earlier this week. Prince Bin Sultan reportedly toured the JF-17 program while in the country.
The Diplomat could not confirm the report, which World Tribune said was based on interviews with “officials,” without specifying any nationalities. World Tribune is a conservative U.S.-based online newspaper focusing on exclusive and underreported international stories involving strategic affairs. It was founded in 1998 by Robert Morton, formerly the Associate Publisher and a Corporate Editor at the Washington Times, which has a history of reporting on alleged secret defense deals between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Some observers, including The New Yorker, have questioned World Tribune’s credibility.
If the report is accurate, it would constitute a potential significant strategic shift across Saudi Arabia, which has historically relied on U. S. and Western defense generation for its military needs. The Royal Saudi Air Force, for example, is largely organized around its large fleet of Boeing F-15 Eagles, which is also joined by some European fighters. As recently as September 2010, the United States announced an arms deal worth $60 billion with Saudi Arabia, which included the sale of 84 new F-15s and the modernization of 70 of Saudi Arabia’s existing aircraft. This is the largest gun sale in U. S. history.
In his new memoir, Robert Gates describes a 2010 meeting where Saudi leader King Abdullah agreed to the enormous arms purchase. Gates said the king’s advisers wanted him to buy French or Russian jets, but King Abdullah opted for the U.S. ones because, according to Gates, “he saw the huge purchase as an investment in a long-term strategic relationship with the United States, linking our militaries for decades to come.”
Since then, however, relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated due to disagreements over Iran, Syria, and Palestine. In October of last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that “the Saudis have told the United States that they are open to opportunities for their longstanding defense partnership. emphasizing that they will be looking for smart weapons at a smart price. “Then, shortly after the P5 and Iran signed an interim agreement on the latter’s nuclear program in November, a Saud family adviser told reporters that Saudi Arabia was looking for a more reliable strategic best friend than the United States.
Pakistan, for its part, has long been trying to find countries to buy the JF-17 in order to reduce the per-unit cost the Pakistan Air Force pays for procuring the plane.
As The Diplomat reported in October, the Pakistan Air Force plans to begin exporting the aircraft this year. An article in several Pakistani newspapers at the time said: “The Pakistan Air Force has been assigned [a] target to export 5-7 JF-17 Thunder aircraft next year and talks are being held in this regard with Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Qatar and other friendly countries.
Still, China and Pakistan have long struggled to find consumers for the JF-17, which China calls the FC-1. It’s not for lack of effort, as both countries have been aggressively marketing the aircraft in recent years. The global article stated that China was in negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Venezuela, while Pakistan was in talks with Turkey and Egypt. Later, he reported that Argentina and China were in talks on a joint agreement. Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro showed that Pakistan had presented his country with the JF-17, claiming that it was impressive for the American F-16.
Last month, following the deployment of the JF-17 Block-II aircraft, the project’s manager, Air Vice Marshal Javaid Ahmad, said that “several countries in Central Asia, South America and Africa have expressed interest in purchasing the new aircraft. “
Although Saudi Arabia is rarely mentioned in those reports, there are rumors that Saudi Arabia is interested in the plane. Indian media, citing Russian industry publications, reported in 2010 that Russia had blocked sales of its RD-93 engines to China, fearing that the JF-17/FC-1 would compete in foreign markets with the Russian MiG-29.
The Indian reports quoted Russia’s state arms export monopoly, Rosoboronexport (ROE), as saying in a press release: “Under the inter-governmental bilateral agreement in November 2007 China was allowed to re-export RD-93 as part of FC-1 fighter to Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Algeria.”
Pakistani JF-17s make periodic refueling stops in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly buying the JF-17 Thunder fighter, jointly produced by China and Pakistan.
According to a report by the World Tribune, the Saudi Ministry of Defense and the Royal Saudi Air Force are recently reviewing the JF-17 program and looking for partners. The report claims that Pakistan introduced the JF-17 fighter to Saudi Arabia with a generation-to-co-production move.
The nuclear agreements that have recently been negotiated with Jordan and Saudi Arabia underscore the incoherence of the United States’ nonproliferation policy.