Western Strategic Interests in Saudi Arabia (RLE Saudi Arabia) by Anthony Cordesman

Author:Anthony Cordesman [Cordesman, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781000156034
Google: 92DwDwAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-07-26T00:00:00+00:00

THE SAUDI AIR FORCE

All of these trends in defense spending, manpower, and the development of Saudi Arabia’s other services help explain why Saudi Arabia has put so much effort into the expansion of the Saudi Air Force. The Air Force offers the fastest increase in deterrent capability per dollar and unit of skilled manpower. It is the only service that can cover Saudi Arabia’s 2.3 million square kilometers of territory. It represents the investment most capable of cross reinforcement of the other services. It also has the most impact in terms of regional prestige, and the most credibility in terms of being able to support other GCC states or to operate with USCENTCOM forces in a major crisis.

It is not surprising, therefore, that Saudi Arabia has achieved its greatest success in this aspect of its military modernization program. The Saudi Air Force’s current strength is shown in Table 5.9, and it is backed by excellent foreign support. Saudi Arabia has been able to draw on U.S. Air Force and contractor support to create some of the most modern air facilities in the world. No U.S. or NATO base has sheltering or hardening equal to the Saudi bases at Dhahran and Khamis Mushayt, and similar facilities will be built at all of Saudi Arabia’s main operating bases.

As has been mentioned earlier, Saudi Arabia now performs most of the support and service for its Lockheed C–130s and its F–5E/F units have also reached proficiency levels approaching those of many Western squadrons, and Saudi Arabia has so far been remarkably successful in converting to its new F–15C/Ds. In fact, the Saudi Air Force’s transition to the F–5E and F–15 has been smooth enough to indicate that the Saudis can absorb its new Tornados and effectively operate a modern air force of 250 combat aircraft by the early 1990s.

Table 5.9: The Current Structure of the Saudi Air Force

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