Royal Saudi Air Force

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The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF; Template:Langx) is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces.

The Royal Saudi Air Force currently has wings, squadrons, and a special forces unit dedicated to combat search and rescue.

The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability, and maintains the second largest fleet of F-15 Eagles after the USAF.

The backbone of the RSAF is currently the F-15 Eagle, with the Panavia Tornado also forming a major component. The Tornado and many other aircraft were delivered under the Al-Yamamah contracts with British Aerospace (now BAE Systems).

The RSAF ordered various weapons in the 1990s, including Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles, laser-guided bombs and Unguided bombs. Al-Salam, a successor to the Al-Yamamah agreement will see 48 Eurofighter Typhoons delivered by BAE.

History

File:"Our Eagles" The first Saudi pilots training in Italy (1935).jpg
"The Saudi pilots training in Italy 1935"—a scene from 'Our Eagles', one of four video wall shows made for the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum.

The Royal Saudi Air Force was formed in the mid-1920s with British assistance from the remains of the Hejaz Air Force.[1] It was initially equipped with Westland Wapiti IIA general purpose aircraft flown by pilots who had served Ali of Hejaz but had been pardoned by the Saudi king.[2]

Following a contract with the British government, which was concluded in 1937, a military airstrip at Jeddah was established in 1939. The military airstrip was where the Air Force was stationed. In 1949, a group of aviation students were sent to study in England, after completing training at Al-Houba. By 1950, a second group of students were sent. The Air Force was re-organized in 1950 and began to receive American assistance from 1952 including the use of Dhahran Airfield by the United States Air Force. In 1951, the group of aviation students returned to form the Royal Saudi Air Force. On November 5, 1952, the Air Force’s flag was raised at a military hangar in Jeddah Airport, which was attended by His Royal Highness Prince Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defense and Aviation at the time. Shortly afterwards, Air Force schools begun opening around the kingdom. Early aircraft used by the RSAF included the Caproni Ca.100, Albatros D.III, Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8, Farman MF.11 Airco DH.9, dH 82 Tiger Moth, Westland Wapiti, Avro Anson, Douglas C-47, and the Douglas B-26 Invader. In 1957, the Royal Saudi Air Force begun major developments, including the establishments of 5 Squadrons, all based at Jeddah Airport. The transportation squadron was equipped with Douglas C-54 Skymasters and Fokker S-13s. The No.2 Squadron was equipped with Douglas B-26 Invaders and the No.5 Squadron was equipped with 20 De Havilland Vampires.[3]

As part of the Magic Carpet arms deal between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, four single-seat Hawker Hunter F.6s and two Hunter T.7s were ordered from Hawker in 1966. The aircraft were delivered to No. 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt Airbase in May 1966. Although the Hunters were operational, following attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian Air Force they were not a success as interceptors as they lacked any ground control but were used for ground attack. One single-seat aircraft was lost in 1967 and the remaining aircraft were presented to Jordan in 1968.

The Saudi forces are equipped with mainly western equipment. Main suppliers to the RSAF are companies based in the United Kingdom and the United States. Both the UK and the US are involved in training programs conducted in Saudi Arabia.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the armed forces of Saudi Arabia were relatively small by Middle Eastern standards. Its strength however was derived from advanced technology. The backbone of the strike / ground attack force is formed by ca 70 Tornados (a second batch of 48 Tornado IDS were ordered in 1993 under the al-Yamamah II program), and 72 F-15S aircraft delivered from the mid-1990s that operate beside the remnants of more than 120 F-15C/D aircraft delivered starting in 1981. Pilot training is executed on the Pilatus PC-21 and BAE Hawk. The C-130 Hercules is the mainstay of the transport fleet and is assisted by CN-235s and Raytheon King Air 350 light transports. Reconnaissance is performed by Tornadoes and F-15s equipped with the DJRP electro-optical reconnaissance pod. The Boeing E-3A is the Airborne Early Warning platform operated by No. 18 Squadron RSAF.

The VIP support fleet consists of a wide variety of civil registered aircraft such as the Airbus A330, Airbus A320, 737 and 747, Lockheed Tri-Stars, MD11s and G1159A as well as Lockheed L-100-30. The HZ- prefix used in the civilian registrations of these aircraft derived from the former name of the territory (Hejaz).

From 1989 to 1991 three Lockheed C-130 Hercules of the RSAF were destroyed in accidents.

The September 1991 issue of Air Forces Monthly lists Nos 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Tornado IDS), 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 29 Squadron (Dhahran with Tornado ADVs); 34, 37, 42, and 66 Squadrons.[4]

Purchases during the 2000s

File:English Electric Lightning T55 (5761848221).jpg
SAF Roundel on the side of a Lightning Aircraft

The Al Yamamah contract was controversial because of the alleged bribes associated with its award. Nonetheless, the RSAF announced its intention to purchase the Typhoon from BAE Systems in December 2005. On 18 August 2006, a memorandum of understanding was signed for 72 aircraft in a GB£6–10 billion deal.[5] The Ef2000 was part of a reveloutinary cross program including France, Spain, and Germany. In the end France left the building of the Ef2000 and later built the Rafel. Following this order, the investigation of the Al Yamamah contract was suppressed by the British prime minister Tony Blair in December 2006, citing "strategic interests" of the UK. On 17 September 2007 Saudi Arabia announced it had signed a £4.4bn deal with BAE Systems for 72 Typhoons.[6]

On 29 December 2011, the United States signed a $29.4 billion deal to sell 84 F-15s in the SA (Saudi Advanced) configuration. The sale includes upgrades for the older F-15s up to the SA standard and related equipment and services.[7]

On 23 May 2012, the British defence firm BAE Systems agreed to sell 22 BAE Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force for a total of £1.9 billion ($3 billion). The deal also included simulators, ground and training equipment and spares.[8] In April 2013, BAE Systems delivered the first two new Typhoons of 24 to Saudi Arabia.

In 2013, the USAF tendered an offer for security services to protect the Saudi air force from cyberwarfare attacks.[9]

In March 2021, RSAF started a joint military exercise, that will last until April 10, with the US and Pakistani Air Forces that will help in exchanging experiences and expertise.[10]


Structure

Wings

As of 2025, the RSAF is divided into multiple wings that are dispersed across nine air bases:

Emblem Wing Location Squadrons Notes
Active
RSAF Wing 1 King Faisal Air Academy No. 8 Squadron RSAF
No. 9 Squadron RSAF
No. 22 Squadron RSAF
No. 77 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 2 King Fahd Air Base, Taif, Mecca Province No. 3 Squadron RSAF
No. 10 Squadron RSAF
No. 80 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 3 King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran, Eastern Province No. 13 Squadron RSAF [11]
RSAF Wing 4 Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province No. 23 Squadron RSAF
No. 24 Squadron RSAF
No. 32 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 5 King Khalid Air Base, Khamis Mushait, Asir Province No. 6 Squadron RSAF
No. 55 Squadron RSAF
No. 66 Squadron RSAF
No. 99 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 6 Prince Sultan Air Base, Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province No. 18 Squadron RSAF
No. 19 Squadron RSAF
No. 71 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 7 King Faisal Air Base, Tabuk, Tabuk Province No. 2 Squadron RSAF
No. 25 Squadron RSAF
No. 29 Squadron RSAF
No. 88 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 8 King Abdullah Air Base, Jeddah, Mecca Province No. 4 Squadron RSAF
No. 16 Squadron RSAF
No. 20 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 9 King Fahd Air Base, Taif, Mecca Province No. 14 Squadron RSAF
No. 33 Squadron RSAF
No. 44 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 10 King Fahd Air Base, Taif, Mecca Province No. 5 Squadron RSAF
No. 34 Squadron RSAF
No. 94 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 11 King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran, Eastern Province No. 7 Squadron RSAF
No. 35 Squadron RSAF
No. 75 Squadron RSAF
No. 83 Squadron RSAF
Fighter Weapons School 		[11]
RSAF Wing 12 King Khalid Air Base, Khamis Mushait, Asir Province No. 100 Squadron RSAF
No. 201 Squadron RSAF
No. 202 Squadron RSAF
No. 203 Squadron RSAF
No. 204 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 13
RSAF Wing 14
RSAF Wing 15 King Saud Air Base, Hafar al-Batin, Eastern Province No. 12 Squadron RSAF
No. 17 Squadron RSAF
No. 92 Squadron RSAF 		[11]
RSAF Wing 16 Al-Jouf Air Base, Sakaka, Al-Jouf Province No. 15 Squadron RSAF [11]

Squadrons

File:A Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 flies over the training lanes.jpg
Saudi F-15 flying over the training lanes

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Inventory

File:RSAF Typhoon at Malta - Gordon Zammit.jpg
A Eurofighter Typhoon near Malta International
File:RSF484 departing East Midlands Airport (altered).jpg
A Saudi Air Force C-130H departing East Midlands
File:Saudi Hawks at airpower (cropped).jpg
A BAE Hawk from the Saudi Falcons display team
File:RSAF KC-707 (cropped).jpg
A Boeing KE-3A of the Royal Saudi Air Force
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Combat aircraft
Eurofighter Typhoon Italy / UK / Germany / Spain multirole 71[15]
Panavia Tornado Italy / UK / Germany multirole IDS 81[15]
F-15 Eagle United States strike fighter / conversion trainer F-15C/D 211[15]
F-15E Strike Eagle United States strike fighter F-15SR[16]
F-15EX Eagle II United States strike fighter F-15SA
AWACS
Boeing E-3 United States AEW E/RE-3A 6[15] one used for SIGINT / ELINT missions
Saab 2000 Sweden AEW&C 2000 AEW&C 2[15]
Aerial refueling
Boeing KC-707 United States aerial refueling KE-3A 7[15]
KC-130 Hercules United States tanker / transport KC-130H 7[15]
Airbus A330 MRTT Spain tanker / transport KC-30A 6[15]
KC-130 Super Hercules United States aerial refueling KC-130J 2[15]
Transport
Gulfstream IV United States VIP transport 2[15]
BAE Jetstream United Kingdom VIP transport 31 1[15]
Cessna Citation II United States VIP transport Bravo 4[15]
Super King Air United States transport 350 15 5 used for reconnaissance – 4 on order[15]
C-130 Hercules United States tactical airlifter C-130H 33[15]
Helicopters
Bell 212 United States utility 24[17]
Bell 412 United States utility 16[17]
Sikorsky UH-60 United States utility UH-60L 2[15]
Eurocopter AS332 France utility / SAR 13 3 on order[15]
Trainer aircraft
BAE Hawk United Kingdom advanced trainer 65A/165 81 10 on order[15]
Pilatus PC-21 Switzerland advanced trainer 55[15]
Cirrus SR22 United States light trainer 25[15]
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak Pakistan primary trainer 20[15]

Retired

File:Saudi Air Force Al Shahrani.JPEG
A Royal Saudi Air Force pilot adjusts his oxygen mask in an F-5 Tiger II prior to flying a training mission in 1983.

Previous aircraft operated included the F-86F Sabre, dH 100 Vampire FB.52, BAC Strikemaster Mk 80, DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk 10, C-54A Skymaster, C-123B Provider, T-6A Texan, T-33A Shooting Star, Cessna 310, O-1 Bird Dog, T-35A Buckaroo, T-34A Mentor, OH-58A Kiowa, T-28A Trojan, F-5 Tiger II, Lockheed JetStar, dH Comet 4C (VIP transport), BAe 146, Alouette III, BAC Lightning[18][19]

Drones

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest countries that owns unmanned aerial vehicles, including attack, surveillance, and reconnaissance. In 2012, Saudi Arabia purchased 50 Italian Selex Galileo Falco drones. In 2014, Saudi Arabia signed a contract with China to purchase Wing Loong drones, and Saudi Arabia has more to receive so far.

In April 2013, Saudi Arabia announced its desire to buy 6 Turkish TAI Anka drones, however these efforts fell through.

Saudi Arabia has pursued projects to manufacture national drones, the first of which was in 2012, when Saudi Arabia announced a program to manufacture drones in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. The project was called Saqr, and 3 new models of the drone have been introduced. Saudi Arabia also announced a new drone called Samoom, the Saudi crown prince showcased the new drone to the Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah As-Sisi during which he showed significant interest in it.

Saudi Arabia also announced in 2021 that it will start producing a high capability drone called SkyGuard. It also established a laboratory for robotic vehicle research at the Prince Sultan Advanced Technology Research Institute at King Saud University. The laboratory aims to build and transfer technology in the field of smart vehicles of all kinds, such as unmanned aircraft, autonomous land vehicles, and others. The laboratory has manufactured many unmanned aircraft, and the aircraft are still undergoing research and development.

Saudi Arabia has started technology transfer projects and joint ventures with countries to manufacture drones. The General organization for Military Industries obtained a license to manufacture the German drone project Luna, manufacturing hundreds of them for the Saudi armed forces. Saudi Arabia also entered a joint venture with South Africa to manufacture the Seeker 400 UCAV.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia and Baykar has signed a contract for AKINCI UCAV export. The amount was not declared but hinted that it is the biggest export at once. SSB President Görgün, who made a statement about the contract in question, said, “The largest Turkish defence industry export, made at once, is over three billion dollars.”[20]

Commanders

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Early Commanders

No. Rank Name Term Ref.
1 Captain Abdullah al-Mandili – –
2 Major Rashid al-Saleh – –
3 Major general Ibrahim al-Tassan 1950–1963 –

Commanders of the Air Force (1963–1972)

No. Rank Name Term Ref.
1 Lieutenant general Asaad Abdulaziz Al-Zuhair 1963–1966 –
2 Major general Hashim bin Said Hashim 1966–1972 –

Commanders of the Royal Saudi Air Force (1972–present)

No. Rank Name Term Ref.
1 Lieutenant general Asaad Abdulaziz Al-Zuhair 1972–1979 –
2 Lieutenant general Mohammed Sabri Suleiman 1980–1984 –
3 Lieutenant general Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Hamdan 1984–1987 –
4 Lieutenant general Ahmed Ibrahim Behery 1987–March 1996 –
5 Lieutenant general Abdulaziz bin Mohammad Al-Henadi March 1996 – 4 April 2004 –
6 Lieutenant general Abdulrahman Al-Faisal 4 April 2004 – 16 June 2010 [21]
7 Lieutenant general Mohammed Al-Ayesh 16 June 2010 – 10 May 2013 [22]
8 Lieutenant general Fayyadh Al-Ruwaili 10 May 2013 – 14 May 2014 [22]
9 Lieutenant general Muhammad Al-Shaalan 14 May 2014 – 10 June 2015 [23]
10 Major general Mohammed Al-Otaibi 10 June 2015 – 26 February 2018 [24]
11 Lieutenant general Turki bin Bandar 26 February 2018 – present [24]

See also

References

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  4. ↑ "Defenders of the Faithful: Royal Saudi Air Force," Air Forces Monthly, September 1991, 23.
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  15. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  22. ↑ a b Arabian Aerospace, 25 June 2015.
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ a b O'Connor, Tom (26 February 2018). Newsweek.

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External links

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