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Tuesday, June 29, 2010     INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING

Saudi king to press Obama for advanced F-15s
to counter 'Iranian threat'

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia has submitted an urgent request for advanced F-15 fighter-jets from the United States.

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Officials said the Saudi request would be discussed during King Abdullah's meeting with President Barack Obama on June 29. They said the 86-year-old king was expected to sign an agreement in principle to purchase the F-15s in a deal estimated at nearly $10 billion.

"The Saudis are comfortable with the F-15s, and see them as important to countering the Iranian threat," the official said.


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Officials said the Saudi royal family has relayed a request for 72 F-15s, manufactured by Boeing. They said the F-15s would comprise the most advanced models, including stealth platforms.

"This has been high on the Saudi agenda," an official said. "The Saudis want these planes quickly."

"The deal would also include Saudi financing of a stealth F-15," the official said. "Right now, the U.S. Air Force is not interested in such a plane."

Saudi Arabia has procured more than 160 F-15s in agreements signed in the late 1970s and mid-1990s. Over the last three years, the United States launched efforts to modernize the F-15C, D and E models, which would enable the fighters to carry advanced air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles.

In 2007, Riyad awarded an $8.9 billion contract to BAE Systems for the purchase of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes, Middle East Newsline reported. But officials said the Royal Saudi Air Force, which received the first batch of Typhoons, would require several years to learn how to fully operate the fourth-generation European fighter.

Officials said Abdullah has demanded the rapid implementation of U.S. weapons deals. They acknowledged that the Defense Department, amid the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been mired in huge delays regarding the delivery of more than $10 billion in Saudi weapons orders.

"The Saudis want to buy [American warplanes], but they won't tolerate delays," the official said. "They have reminded us that they could turn to Europe and get advanced aircraft within three years of a contract."



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