Saudi Arabia may become the first Middle Eastern nation to buy the world’s most powerful destroyers. Yup Defense News is reporting that U.S Navy officials briefed the Saudi’s on the DDG-51 class Arleigh Burke class destroyers equipped with the famous SPY-1D AEGIS radars that, among many things, are capable of performing in the ballistic missile defense role. Iran is going to love this.
From DN:
Capt. Cate Mueller, spokesperson for the U.S. Navy’s acquisition office, confirmed that the “non-binding price and availability (P&A) rough order of magnitude estimate was delivered in May” to the Saudis.
The brief, she said, included information on the capabilities and prices of “medium surface combat ships with integrated air and missile defense capability, helicopters, patrol craft and shore infrastructure.”
The Saudis are looking at several possibly mixes of ships for a planned naval expansion. The kingdom had been contemplating buying Littoral Combat Ships equipped with the smaller, weaker SPY-1F AEGIS radar. That system can’t perform the BMD role. Apparently, the latest briefing to the Saudis proposed a mix of “two destroyers plus an unknown number of LCS vessels.”
As the article says, the addition of DDG-51s to the Saudi navy would cause some waves (doh!) in the region:
“The DDG 51 is the most capable destroyer on the planet,” said one naval expert. “If the Saudis get anything like that, it would be quite significant.”
A seagoing BMD capability would minimize terrorist threats to the system, said one senior retired naval officer.
“It’s much more difficult to defeat it — a truck bomb doesn’t matter,” the retired naval officer said. Moreover, “you can move a ship to a particular threat axis. It’s much harder for the other guy to plan against.”
But Iran, the primary threat in the region, already operates three Russian-built Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines and is acquiring more small subs, all able to threaten ships at sea. But identification of the target may prove difficult, particularly if an Iranian sub was trying to target Saudi but not U. S. ships.
The addition of BMD-capable ships in the gulf would help the United States, which already maintains at least one such ship in the region.
“If the Saudis always have one in the gulf, it makes it easier for the U.S. Navy to meet its commitments in the region,” the retired senior naval officer said.
Still, don’t forget the uprisings that are shaking the region. While Saudi Arabia seems to have avoided the mass disruptions seen in other Arab nations the possibility of revolution could spook the U.S. from going through with the deal:
“If you think the kingdom isn’t long for this world, a fundamentalist takeover could put a system in the hands of the enemy,” the retired senior naval officer observed.
Here’s the whole article.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Remains me of my country, Malaysia. before the 1997 economic crisis, my country is the regional power house, as we build the highest building at that time, we also brought in new weapon systems to modernize the military, like the Mig-29 Fulcrums and F/A-18D Hornets to replace the F-5 Tigers, and new frigates for the navy, but after the crisis, we never got up to our former status. I wonder when will that happen to the Saudis?
Although Malaysia has some of the religious and ethnic identity issues that hold back growth and development in the middle east, it still has a lot more going for it, and a lot more diversified economy. Once the oil runs out in the middle east I wonder what will stop those nations from the same fate as Yemen.
Do the Saudis have sailors?
Better, they have a @#$%load of money.
They can hire American and European sailors and ex-navy to do the actual work while Saudi princes play at being captains.
That's how their air force works already.
Israel won't allow America to sell this advanced ship to the Saudis. The only way Israel will give the OK is if we give them a few billion dollars or a squadron of F-35s for free.
We do give them this basically "for free". Our billions in defense aid is then used to purchase our weapons. We give them money to buy our stuff, in essence.
There will be a quite handshake agreement to keep these out of the Med, and Israel won't have a problem. They might use it as a convenient excuse for increasing the size of their own Navy, but that's just politics.
odd are these ships will rarely leave port. Back in '91 the most challenging task the coalition assigned the Saudi Navy was mine sweeping, they mostly failed at that.
Royal Saudi Navy = House of Saud Yacht Club.
"While Saudi Arabia seems to have avoided the mass disruptions seen in other Arab nations the possibility of revolution could spook the U.S. from going through with the deal"
Exactly. Right now the Saudi's are pissed at us for failing to support the other aging autocrats in the region (especially Mubarak) and senior figures are talking about a major break with the USA. They would be much happier if we stay quiet while the Sunni autocrats slaughter civilians, especially infidel Shia….which plays right into the hands of Iran.
Do you want to be giving them all your best technology? There are some serious shake ups on the way. Let the Saudi's come back to us when they realize how important we are to their security, and are willing to put a lid on the nasty wahabbi ideologues.
I really doubt we will sell them TLAMS- just Standards and maybe some ASROCS
Then these Burkes are just air defense destroyers. But that works out for Israel.
That's probably all they're really wanted for. I can't see Saudi actively going for Iran unless attacked – in which case you'd get a similar response (albeit probably on an even larger scale) to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Missiles and aircraft are the only things its really needed to counter in a defensive role.
Guess the Saudis aren't sold on the deterrent value of TLAM. Nuclear TLAM with American PALs might keep the peace…
I don't recall Saudi Arabia having a benevolent attitude towards Isreal.
King Abdulla is doing what he can to keep the people from rising up by increasing wages and even certain freedoms – soon even women will be able to drive! Well maybe. Either way Saudi Arabia is still on the bubble to have uprisings.
The US is playing it good by keeping arms length away from the conflicts. The Arabians Aristocrats don't like to see change happening and people getting a voice and fighting for their freedoms. They are SCARED.
The US will only come in if Taliban like regimes become the power and fix that right quick.
The Saudis have actually been quite moderate re Israel, but they must walk a fine line between keeping Saudis and other Muslims happy by not being friends, but recognizing the real politic and interests of the Saudis in regional peace and stability. Islamic radicals are the enemy of both the Saudis and Israel
Id sell them (minus some tweaks in system) OR Raise price for & IE U Service, Man them & or Build them BUT Raise the fee, Saudis balk, then say Lower your Oil prices.
& or leave OPEC.
In fairness – they're trying. Saudi was the leading country pushing hard to increase the production quotas at the most recent conference, but the rest of OPEC was telling them to wind their necks in.
because they have to. no high output no security from america and the economic hitman will overthrow the king in 5 min. the king has no power. the king is americas stooge. what america says the stoog will do. the suadis will sink these ships thhrough incompetence. let me show it off crashes into a man made island
most of Saudi production is heavy sour, but the real demand is for light sweet crude (which is why Libya is a big deal, their spice is sweet)
the Sauds can triple production and it would not do much to the price
Isn't Iraqi oil also "sweet"?
What's more important here? The threat from Iran or the threat of Saudi implosion? I guess if we're more worried about Iran (I think we are), it is in our best interest to equip the Saudis with some some form of Aegis, since that is money we don't have to spend ourselves to contain Iran. Right now the US ship building industry can certainly use the orders, or even better, sell them a couple SLEPed older Burkes to defray the costs of replacing them with shiny new ones.
I question whether the Saudi navy has any chance of running these complicated ships in an effective manner without having contractors essentially crew them for them.
There is also the obvious possible parallel with Iran and the Kid class. How much tech can we strip off a Burke when selling to a shady ally and still have them be effective combatants?
Iran is not a threat to the US. The Saudis or Israelis, maybe. So I'm all for the local states carrying a larger share of the burden. Did you read the cableleaks about how the Saudis have been clamoring for us to do something about Iran? Well let them pay for it then! And of course we will only sell a small basket of SM-3s and a self-defense complement of ASROCs, torps, harps and maybe even TASMs. But given the modular VLS, how long would it take to equip them with TLAMs if we wanted to? Just disable some software but leave it in the code to enable if the need arises. Further the contractor support has to be part of the plan. We're already doing plenty of private army stuff, why not navy too? I imagine that Iran would be less concerned about the BMD than the prospect of HUNDREDs of combined TLAMs pacing right outside their door.
It currently is. All the Saudi military arms have massive numbers of Frenchm American and British contractor personnel embedded in depots and bases as maintenance crews.
Iran isn't a direct threat to the US. However, closing the straits of Hormuz to civilian shipping with SSMs, subs, and mines (hell, even tube artillery – it's really not very wide and tankers are slow as donkeys) for – what? Say a month?
Iran is not a direct threat, but they are a regional threat to US oil interests, therefor US and Saudi interests align somewhat.
Iran has made threats to the effect that if anything bad happens to them, they will take out the Gulf oil fields with their IRBMs and the world economy with it. I think you underestimate how much that scares the various royals around the gulf. BMD is surely a very big concern, or at least a credible pretense at it.
Iran is still helping terrorists murder Americans in Iraq.
They declared war against us 30 years ago and have never let up. They call us satan and say they will destroy us.
They are not a big threat now, but they are trying to nuke up. Iran is also supporting insurgencies against Bahrain and KSA. Where does the 5th fleet park again?
What modifications were made to the Kidds back when they were going to go to the Shah? Won't the Burkes need them too?
Wonder if Saudi LCS is ready for Iranian missile boats..
Mostly the mods for the Kidds were great AC and sand filters.
The biggest threat to Iranian missile boats is an armed helicopter. The LCS has two or more (if carrying drone helos) making it a nasty threat to them.
Fantastic arming the enemies of the west all over again, the country that is spreading the worlds worst ideological cancer throughout the west now getting new arms from it…
Aegis is the heart of what makes the DDG's great. Japan, South Korea, Norway, Spain and Australia use it. The Sejongs (ROKN) have full helicopter decks and 128 VLS tubes vs 96 on the DDG and 122 on the Ticos. (But the Sejongs appear to have constraints on what can be launched from their tubes, being subdivided between K-VLS and Mk 41s). The ROK doesn't have Tomahawks, and launch their land attack missile from K-VLS, and seem to be limited to the 48 of K-VLS.
I guess if they imported TLAMs, they could load them into their VLS tubes?
The DDG's have SPY-1D, and the Sejongs -1D(V)
oh yes us saudis are very bad do not sell us weapons poohoo we also sacrafice kids when we are not in our palaces and castles barely able to drive our rols and BMWs.
God the stereotypes of some people for God's sake we have been nothing but a friend to you as a nation yes we do have some bad apples but so do you.
And personally the whole thing about selling us some weapons with half capabilities or an "off" button does not work anymore why?
because when a few missiles we bought from america were duds in the war in yemen a few years back we bought the same missiles technology from the Ukraine to make it ourselves also we picked the typhoon over the Rafale for the very same purpose. the british agreed to a full technology transfer the french didn't.
Look at all of you saying oh look at those Saudis who barely know how to read they can't even handle a notebook let alone a computer.
Sorry for the attitude but seriously all this stereotyping is getting very very old.
Picking sides and getting armed…..