Saudi shocker The Statesman (Perspective), January 3, 2006
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid==4 King Abdullah's proposed acquisition of Eurofighters has strategic implications for New Delhi. Many Pakistani expatriates are employed and seconded to the military establishment in Saudi Arabia to operate modern defence hardware obtained from the West, writes NK PANT The news report of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and British defence secretary John Reid signing a memorandum of understanding on 21 December for supply of Eurofighters, the latest fourth generation combat aircraft should not interest New Delhi defence planners in the normal course. But if the receiving nation that happens to be located in our extended neighbourhood, arms itself with the most modern weapon delivery systems beyond its justified defence requirements, the information should justifiably ruffle strategic feathers in our country. Under the agreement, the UK will equip the Royal Saudi Air Force with 72 state-of-the-art multi-role Eurofighter jets also known as Typhoons. The proposed contract also involves transfer of technology and training of Saudi personnel. Typhoons will replace Tornados and Hawk fighter planes supplied by Britain under the Al Yamamah arms for oil agreement signed in 1980. Saudi Arabia, which is enjoying a record oil revenue touching $163 billion this year, buys billions of dollars worth of military equipment and happens to be one of the top purchasers of armaments. But it lacks the availability of adequate, trained manpower to operate them. Apart from the nationals of countries supplying the equipment, the kingdom also depends on fellow Islamic nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and other Islamic countries to carry out routine maintenance of the military hardware. One can find a large number of Pakistani expatriates working in varied civilian spheres, also employed and seconded to Saudi military establishment to operate modern defence hardware obtained from the USA, the UK and west European sources. A couple of years back, a full Pakistani army division was deployed in the Saudi kingdom which has all along these years been openly favouring Pakistan's dubious stand on Kashmir besides often playing host to Kashmiri separatist leaders. In such a scenario, should there be a military conflict between India and Pakistan on Kashmir, it is likely that Saudi Arabia may act as a friendly backyard for Pakistani air force providing its personnel and planes a safe strategic depth. It may also extend full material support to Islamabad in the form of combat and support aircraft and allied equipment. A considerable number of Pakistani pilots and maintenance crew is reportedly employed by the Royal Saudi Air Force and if they are allowed to fly the frontline Eurofighters against India in the event of a war, the possibility of a crucial air power balance tilting in favour of Pakistan, cannot be ruled out. The Royal Saudi Air Force consisting of about 330 sophisticated multi-role combat planes and fleet of Boeing built AWACS and manned by more than 20,000 personnel is considered the most modern in the region. Although its mission is to defend economic installations and widely scattered population centres of Saudi Arabia against attack, its usefulness in the event of need to Pakistani military establishment cannot be wished away. In this context, acquisition of Typhoon-Eurofighter, the formidable air fighting machine jointly developed by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain and costing nearly $120 million a piece needs to be taken note of by Indian defence planners. The agreement worth at least $18 billion is proving to be a boost for military aircraft industry in these countries in general and the UK in particular. It could be a cause of concern for New Delhi, resulting in an arms race. Eurofighter, an excellent flying machine considered a marvel of modern fourth generation air combat technology, was conceived in the early 1980s at the same time when Indian planners put their LCA project on the drawing board. While the LCA now named Tejas is still undergoing flight testing, Eurofighter has begun to enter the squadron service in the air forces of four nations that are involved in the aircraft's development. Britain is reportedly acquiring nearly 250 of this state-of-the art aircraft which is set to be Royal Air Force's major front-line type for many years to come, replacing the RAF's Tornado F3 fighters and Jaguar fighter-bombers in front-line service. This versatile all-weather, multi-role fighter with an operational flying range of up to 1,000-km radius, is a single-seat, twin- engine, agile combat aircraft which will be used in air-to-air, air- to-ground and tactical reconnaissance roles. The design of Eurofighter Typhoon is optimised for air dominance performance. It is capable of delivering a large payload of weapons over long distances, by day or night. In its Close Air Support role, the plane has the ability to remain on task for long periods allowing close co-ordination with ground commanders, and the identification of individual targets. Typhoon can be equipped to undertake both air-to-air and air-to- ground missions in a single sortie, switching between the two separate attack modes in flight. The aircraft's dedicated radar modes and data-link enable it to operate effectively on maritime roles which provide Saudi air force capability to endanger Indian naval and merchant ships sailing in the adjacent Arabian Sea. New Delhi must take the introduction of sophisticated weaponry in India's near and extended neighbourhood into account while chalking out its future security strategy and plans for replacement of ageing fighter aircraft. It must also give a serious consideration to Russia's offer on joint design and development of a fifth generation fighter jet. In view of the close brotherly relations and special defence understanding between Riyadh and Islamabad, reports on Saudi Arabia arming itself to its teeth with sophisticated weapon systems must not go unnoticed in New Delhi's corridors of power. The induction of Typhoons in the region calls for initiation of timely, effective counter measures. (The author is a Wing Commander, retd, Indian Air Force.) -- This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! 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