Saudi may order 24 Eurofighter jets

[tigershark]

Saudi may order 24 Eurofighter jets but the price seems low at around $60 million per can this be right?

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia could order 24 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets from BAE Systems (BAES.L: Quote, Profile, Research) for about 1.5 billion pounds, the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) reported on Friday.   Saudi Arabia and Britain announced in September a 4.43 billion pound deal for 72 of the Eurofighters.    "The kingdom is set to decommission a number of aircraft and is thinking about a possible order for 24 more Eurofighters," MEED quoted an adviser to the Saudi government, that it did not identify, as saying.

Link
http://uk.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUKL1714982220071117

[Webmaster]

Currencies!

GBP 60M = USD 120M

[tigershark]

Thanks had a brain freeze I knew this jet is over $100 million plus.     

[Raptor]

You've got something wrong there, Webby. 1 GBP=3SGD 1USD=1.6SGD

i think you overshot by a few million bucks... Which, in case you're wondering, is a lot of money.

[tigershark]

So Raptor would the basic price be around $110 million per in US dollars?    I still have this guy on this other forum who says EF2000 cost $60/70 million per.   

[Raptor]

Approx. US$112,500,000 actually. Yeah i did it in my head. Guess what they teach in Singapore...

I have no idea about the EF-2000's cost. Shall we ring up Germany?

[Webmaster]

Nah, USD 120 M is closer:

http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=60000000&from=GBP&to=USD&submit=Convert

Plus, total contract / number of planes is GBP 62.5 M per piece. It's not the 'clean' price, but realistic.

[valkyrian]

The way i see it, is that Saudi is buying European aircraft, leaving the mighty Eagle out........but from what i heard in the news Qatar (i think) and Saudies are going to buy Patriot batteries and systems worth 10 billion dollars.....i bet at Lockheed Martin Santa Clause brought a present for Christmass..

I am curious if the Saudis ever buy the Raptor....at least they can afford it.....

In the 80's they bought F-15 (the best thing they could get their hands on) and Tornado (this is a questionable choice). Now they are buying Eurocanard 2000, and they surely need something else since 24 aircrafts in a huge desert is very low density solution...

[tigershark]

There are rumors going around that a new Eagle order might be placed even with the second Typhoon order.  If I find the article I'll post it I know I saw it.   

With Saudi's
72 Typhoon - current order being filled
24 Typhoon - new order
Older F-15?  Not sure how many

The Kingdom has or will have just about the two best fighters in good numbers one could buy.   Patriot batteries are huge sales for the US big time.   Lets say the Saudi's for there own protection had to go across the Gulf and hit rocket batteries in Iran themselves do they have enough attack or strike aircraft?   I'll admit I don't think this would happen because coalition and US forces would been pressed into service long before Saudi's own aircraft would be use but are there Tornado & pilots ready for it?   

[Webmaster]

I am curious if the Saudis ever buy the Raptor....at least they can afford it.....

Sure, if the US would allow them.

In the 80's they bought F-15 (the best thing they could get their hands on) and Tornado (this is a questionable choice).

Well they bought F-15C/Ds, so you need something to strike ground targets on a SAM-invested battlefield, in the 1980s the best answer would been the Tornado IDS, or the F-15E, which they got much later in downgraded form as F-15S. About the ADV, as an interceptor it had some advantages over the F-15, and don't put all your money on one horse. Nowadays we all know that the F-16 turned out to be better of taking on the swing-role and thus more capable overall... and Tornado was not the best platform for an interceptor. But I wouldn't say the choice of the Tornado was questionable, unless you mean bribes and stuff, in that case, wake up and see the real world 

Now they are buying Eurocanard 2000, and they surely need something else since 24 aircrafts in a huge desert is very low density solution...

72 + 24, with AWACS support, and USAF in Qatar... they'll be in good shape. Plus you have a 70-strong fleet of F-15S that will soldier on for some time and can also take on an air defense role.

Lets say the Saudi's for there own protection had to go across the Gulf and hit rocket batteries in Iran themselves do they have enough attack or strike aircraft?   I'll admit I don't think this would happen because coalition and US forces would been pressed into service long before Saudi's own aircraft would be use but are there Tornado & pilots ready for it?  

Let's say when that time comes, they'll either have:
70-80 upgraded Tornados, capable of cruise missiles, Brimstone and LGB, plus ASRAAM self defence
60-70 upgraded F-15S, with AGM-88, LBGs, maybe even SDBs, plus AIM-120/AIM-9
50-70 Typhoons, plus ASRAAM, Meteor, AIM-120
or:
40-60 F-35 JSF
20-40 F-15S
80-90 Typhoons

So, yes. But I am afraid it will get very bloody. Regarding pilots, well at this moment, I wouldn't know about their night flying capabilities, but in another 5-10 years... well at least they'll be better trained and equipped than Iran's pilots.


 

[Raptor]

Hey, who wouldn't buy the raptor if they could afford it and the US would sell.