Illustrative image. (Telegram)
Saudi Arabia is in talks with Pakistan to convert about $2 billion of Saudi loans into a JF-17 Thunder fighter jet deal, Reuters reported on January 8, citing two Pakistani sources.
One of the sources said that the discussions were limited to the provision of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets. According to the source, the total deal was worth $4 billion, with an additional $2 billion to be spent on equipment over and above the loan conversion.
Meanwhile, the second source told the news agency that the fighter jets were the primary option among others under discussion.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a nuclear power, signed a comprehensive defense pact in September, significantly strengthening a decades-old military and security partnership.
Reuters report came out after the Pakistani military announced that Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu was in Saudi Arabia earlier in the week to discuss “bilateral defence cooperation, regional security environment and future avenues of collaboration” with his counterpart Lieutenant General Turki bin Bander bin Abdulaziz.
The report didn’t provide any technical details about the deal in the making, but it can be assumed that Saudi Arabia wants to acquire the JF-17C Block III, the latest version of the fighter jet that is manufactured in Pakistan in partnership with China.
The JF-17C is equipped with the highly-capable KLJ-7A active electronically scanned array radar, which has a range of up to 200 kilometers, and upgraded avionics. The fighter jet can be armed with a wide range of weapons, most notably the Chinese-made PL-15E beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile which proved its worth during the Pakistani-Indian conflict last year.
Azerbaijan expanded an order for JF-17Cs from 16 fighter jets to 40 as part of a $4.6 billion defense agreement last year. Based on this it can be estimated that a single fighter jet costs as much as $115 million. For $2 billion, Saudi Arabia may be getting around 17 jets.
While the number is not large, the deal is still very significant for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), among the most capable in the Middle East, for several reasons.
If confirmed, the deal would mark the first time Saudi Arabia has purchased fighter jets from a country other than the United States, or the United Kingdom. The JF-17C would be also the first single engine fighter jet to enter service with the RSAF in several decades.
While diversifying the sources of armament holds significant political importance, and equipping the RSAF with a lighter fighter jet could provide more flexibility, the biggest benefit for Riyadh would likely be the freedom to deploy and use its JF-17Cs as it wishes.
Unlike deals with the U.S. and the UK, the one with Pakistan will not likely come with any political strings, or terms for how or where the fighter jets can be used.
A small fleet of highly-capable, cost-effective JF-17C fighter jets would give Saudi Arabia the ability to intervene in regional conflicts without facing any pressure from the U.S. or the UK. Both imposed multiple limited arms sales bans on the kingdom over its military intervention in Yemen in the past.
That being said, the deal in the works does not suggest that Saudi Arabia has immediate plans to intervene anywhere. It will likely take years to train pilots and deliver the fighter jets.
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it’s time to take out the iranian mullahs…heheheh
obviously the globalists want the shah back .now they’re ready for taking russua back into the fold .the stage works done.
the shah? hahahahahaha…..dumb westoid losers and their monarchy, shah will never rule again
he ll be moving in soon.
it’s time to kick your joo arse heheheheh
ramses 1 and ramses 2.
drugs and arms dealings the universal currency .
except under america now .for the first timr in decades.
since the 1960s. prior heroin was very chic amongst the elite and wealthy with high prices low turnover, but after they went mainstream, high turnover lower prices. now they will be furious and they operate from behind big corporations. with big networks that facilitate distributions.
eg one well known carmaker was, allegedly , sending new cars around the world without engines and then sending the engines separateky but stuffed with heroin. things like that with all their actors in place along the route
saudi arabia is a wild card nation like turkey. stability in critical decision making seems erratic over time. i do not think the saudi will train many pilots, they will probably hire them to do the dirty work. what is the grand plan for these missile delivery vehicles ? and what nation will make the missile they carry ?
they were created by england to do their bidding. and presently they are modernising islam so fast that its turning into something new. imo. removing everything from before, clothing behaviours, dietary restrictions, thoughts values beliefs women can wear western clothes drive cars, and so on. look at the choices, pearls and twin sets like the queen’s crew..