Over the past decade, the Middle East has become a happy hunting ground for four-plus fighter makers.
It started in 2007, when Saudi Arabia signed a $5.9bn (£4.4bn) contract with BAE Systems for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets. They are operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) 2nd Wing at King Fahd Air Base in Taif. The RSAF also received 84 Boeing F-15 Saudi Advanced (SA) Strike Eagles as part of the US$29 billion US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement signed in 2010. However, President Biden’s administration has signaled its intention to only sell “defensive” weapons systems that were supplied to Saudi Arabia during his tenure.
A Memorandum of Intent (MoI) for an additional 48 Typhoons was signed during a visit to the UK by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March 2018, but the sale has not been officially confirmed.Saudi Arabia’s defense budget for 2021 is cut by 10 percent compared to 2020, with military spending down to $46 billion, according to the kingdom’s fiscal statement.
In December 2012, 12 Typhoons were contacted for $3.3 billion (£2.5 billion), nine of which were single-seat batch 3 aircraft, and eight Hawk Mk166 Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), the last of which was Delivered in April 2019. With the reorganized 8th Squadron, the Typhoon was based at Adam Air Force Base and a new military airfield was built 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Muscat.
Kuwait acquired 28 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, including six two-seaters and 22 single-seaters, under a 2016 contract worth $8.7 billion. This also includes the training of pilots and ground personnel by the Italian Air Force and Leonardo, as well as logistics and a three-year initial operational support package. Italy’s Leonardo delivered the first two Eurofighters in December 2021, with all Typhoon deliveries due by the end of 2023. They will eventually join the ranks of Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the sale of which was submitted to the US for Congressional approval in September 2016. A $10.1 billion contract for 22 Boeing Super Hornets was signed in November 2016, with an option to add 10 more aircraft to replace the Kuwait Air Force’s fleet of 27 F/A-18C Hornets.
The Qatar Emir Air Force (QEAAF) signed a $6.92 billion contract in May 2015 for the supply of 24 Dassault Rafale fighter jets, quadrupling the size of its fighter inventory. In December 2017, 12 more were added to the original order, with Qatar retaining the option to purchase up to 36. The Rafale EQ/DQ aircraft belong to IQEAAF’s 1st Fighter Wing in Tamim.
In September 2016, 72 Boeing F-15s were sold and submitted to the U.S. Congress for approval, and a contract was signed for 36 F-15QAs based on the Saudi F-15SA, plus options for 36 additional aircraft, valued at $21.1 billion , signed in November 2016. The FA-15QA Ababil multirole fighter jet is located at Al-Udeid Air Force Base.
A full year later, QEAF ordered 24 Euro Typhoon fighter jets from BAE Systems as part of an $8bn (£6bn) contract that included nine Hawk AJTs as well as support and training packages. This includes reforming the RAF 12th Squadron in 2018, the first combined squadron since World War II. Qatari pilots and ground crew have been learning how to fly and maintain a Typhoon at RAF Coningsby since June 2020, with RAF personnel providing air and ground training as they prepare for the first typhoons to be delivered in 2022 .
In 2011, QEAF evaluated Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Lightning II, but deemed it a huge leap forward for the Air Force using a small number of outdated Alpha Jet light attack aircraft and the fourth-generation Mirage 2000-5 .
In 2015, Egypt became Dassault Rafale’s first international customer with an order of 24 Rafales as part of a larger $5.9 billion deal. In January 2016, Egypt received six two-seat Rafale DM aircraft, which were transferred from delivery to the French Air Force. In May 2021, France agreed to sell an additional 30 Rafale fighter jets to Egypt for $4.8 billion, funded through loans repayable over at least 10 years. They are operated by the EAF’s 203rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Gebel el Basur Air Base near Cairo.
In July 2018, the Israeli Air Force hosted a military delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to review the operation of its F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Israel was the only country in the Middle East to have an F-35A stockpile, and was the only country to field the fighter in combat missions at the time. While there is no formal diplomatic relationship, Israel and the UAE are cooperating on security matters to counteract Iran’s growing influence in the region. The unprecedented visit comes as the UAE is purchasing its own F-35 fleet. In the final days of the Trump administration, the United States approved an Emirati defense plan worth about $23 billion, including 50 F-35, MQ-9 Reaper drones and various munitions.
On December 3, 2021, the UAE announced the signing of a US$18 billion contract to purchase 80 Rafale F4s and 12 Airbus H225M Caracal helicopters from France. Major General Ibrahim Nasser Allawi, Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence Command, said: “This deal is not seen as a replacement for the upcoming F-35 deal, but rather as a complement as we develop our Air Force capabilities,” in a statement aimed at reassuring his U.S. allies that the Rafale fighter jets will replace the UAE Air Force’s Mirage 2000 fleet. However, an Emirati official said the UAE had notified the United States that it would suspend discussions to buy the F-35. Technical and security requirements, sovereign operational constraints imposed by the Biden administration, and cost/benefit analysis led to the reassessment. The possible US sale of F-35As to the UAE is also likely to be more limited than the Israeli Air Force’s F-35I Adirs.
David Oliver
