product:eurofighter

Yemen’s Houthi rebels shoot down Saudi-led coalition Typhoon jet - Xinhua | English.news.cn
▻http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/28/c_136710936.htm

There were no immediate comments by the Saudi-led coalition over the Houthi claims.

But if confirmed, this fighter jet would be the second plane downed by the Yemeni rebels in less than one month.

On Oct. 1, the Houthis fired a surface-to-air missile and shot down a U.S.-made drone, General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, in north of the capital Sanaa.

The United States, which is the main supporter to the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-allied Shiite Houthis, admitted losing its fighter aircraft.

Targeting the Eurofighter Typhoon, one of the world’s most advanced swing-role fighters, came few hours after Houthi fighters fired a ballistic missile toward a Saudi military base deep inside the Saudi southern border province of Najran.

The coalition said the missile destroyed a residential compound belonging to a Saudi-owned government company and slightly injured one worker.

The fierce escalation came one day after remarks by the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that his country will continue the war against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels in #Yemen.

Saudi Arabia on Offensive With Attack-Minded Military Splurge
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-17/saudi-arabia-on-offensive-with-attack-minded-military-splurge

“Traditionally, military capabilities in the region have been focused on territorial defense,” IHS analyst Reed Foster said in the report. Now Mideast states are acquiring equipment that will allow them to build “the kind of capabilities required to conduct operations beyond their borders.”

Saudi Arabia’s fleet of Panavia Tornado ground-attack aircraft and the 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighters ordered from #BAE_Systems Plc are among likely beneficiaries of upgrades intended to project power over a distance. In dollar terms, the oil-rich nation had the fourth-biggest defense budget last year behind the U.S., China and India, after the pound’s collapse following last June’s Brexit vote relegated the U.K. to fifth spot from third.

Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will “start to spend heavily” over the next two years as the potential threat from Iran increases, with the former set to return to budget growth this year, IHS projects.

#Arabie_saoudite #Emirats_arabes_unis #armement

Britain reaches Eurofighter price deal with Saudi: BAE
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/18696

Britain has reached an agreement over the rising cost of providing Saudi Arabia with Typhoon Eurofighter jets, British defense company BAE Systems said on Wednesday. BAE, working in close co-operation with the British government, signed a $7.5 billion deal in 2007 to supply 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia. Even though some planes have been delivered, the contract has faced obstacles over rising costs. “Both governments have now agreed price escalation terms relating to the Typhoon aircraft under the Salam program,” BAE said in a statement. read more

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