None of this matters. The Saudis could have a trillion dollars worth of weaponry, and they would still be defenseless.
Their entire economy is supported by Western technicians. If we pulled out, it would collapse in months. And their armed forces have no training or temperament to fight a serious war, much less a high-tech one.
This is just a lame attempt to get Washington's attention, because it's obvious that one of the items on Bush's to-do list is reforming Saudi Arabia, which means getting rid of the corrupt and repulsive House of Saud. The Saudis are just about out of cards to play, with money being about the only one they have left. So they spend money to send a message, knowing if push came to shove, it would do them no good.
Its useful to know that we have provided SA with weapons and infrastructure (air traffic control) for years. We cannot very well argue that other countrys should not do the same. I always thought it would be smart to put a (shut down switch) in the F 16s we have sold them. Perhaps radio activated from US planes?
Saudi is a rich welfare state. Their men will not fight. I used to work at a defense contractor that got a huge contract with Saudi, and I got to interact with Saudi officers. I was not impressed