Proposed arms sale to Saudi Arabia could be as much as $30 billion Arab states continue military buying spree to counter Iran

By ICEJ News

28 Jul 2010

84 new F-15 fighter jets, as many as 70 refurbished F-15s and 72 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are among the items under discussion between Saudi Arabia and the US in a deal which could include as much as $30 billion in advanced American military hardware. “There are three major efforts for Saudi Arabia -- aviation, Army missile defense-related and Navy,” said Navy Vice Admiral Jeffrey Wieringa, director of the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign sales. The proposed deal, which has been in negotiations since August of 2007, might also include military satellites, THAAD missile defense systems, Littoral Combat Ships and kits for satellite-guided bombs, as well as training, technical support and spare parts for the equipment. If approved, the deal would preserve thousands of American jobs and form the cornerstone of President Obama’s plan to buttress moderate Arab governments against Iran, part of the Gulf Security Initiative started by the Bush administration. Saudi Arabia spent $36.7 billion worldwide on arms and support activities from 2001 to 2008, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, leading the way in a massive buildup of arms and related military equipment among the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region opposite Iran.

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