Posted on 02/24/2016 1:52:07 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
RIYADH: A new military transport aircraft manufactured locally will be tested next year after 18 months of development and design.
This is according to Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
The AN-132 is the result of cooperation with Ukraine and would see 80 planes produced, partially in the former Soviet nation, he said.
The AN-132 is a modern version of the military transport plane AN-32, with modern engines and electronics that would make it more fuel-efficient and able to take off and land in various environments, he was quoted as saying by a local publication.
This coincides with Saudi Arabia signing five agreements with several companies affiliated with the Saudi Company for Development and Technical Investments, which is completely owned by the Public Investment Fund.
The agreements were signed with leading technology and manufacturing companies to establish five companies specializing in military and civil industries, satellite and radar production, and clean energy.
Prince Turki said two of the five agreements would see the manufacture of Black Hawk and Antonov aircraft, which would see a significant transfer of technology, and the production of these planes in the Kingdom.
This partnership is an expansion of a current agreement between KACST and Antonov to develop and manufacture AN-132 planes.
KACST would own 50 percent of the intellectual property, he said.
A Saudi company combining Technical Space Company and US Digital Globe has been set up to manufacture and market a number of small satellites for space photography. KACST aims to develop and manufacture six satellites.
Another deal was signed with Aselsan Turkish company to develop and manufacture radars and electro-visual devices in the Kingdom.
The pact includes training of staff. The company would provide maintenance and development services to the military and security sectors.
How many Indians and/or Philippineos does it take to build a Saudi plane?
Ukrainian technology and Saudi money. As long as it isn’t the other way around.
It’s not a good thing for the Sauds to get involved there. It would bring access for those darn terrorists Saudi supports.
If they use Saudi mechanics those planes will be falling from the sky like me snowflakes.
The problem is that Saudi Arabia is bankrupting their own country while the royal family is sitting on unimaginable billions of cash and assets. What’s to stop the royal family from leaving Saudi Arabia, in tatters, and buying western Ukraine from the corrupt oligarchs there?
That could be the best thing to ever happen.
Western Ukraine is Ukrainian and will stay so. The ghost of Ivan Mazepa and Prince Yaroslav watch over their people.
Other than tents, the Saudis have never designed anything.
Do you want to fly on a plane designed and built by a bunch of camel jocks?
“How many Indians and/or Philippineos does it take to build a Saudi plane?”
That was my thought also, what exactly did the Saudis do, pick out the color from a brochure?
Five times a day...LOL!
Why design something when you can get the best labor money can buy to do the job!
C-47 is my god!
Why design something when you can get the best labor money can buy to do the job!
I believe the Saudis are just trying to prove they can provide some useful meaning to the world other than tents and terrorism.
That already came up in 2010....
“When I became the NASA administrator — or before I became the NASA administrator — he [Obummer] charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering," Bolden said in the interview.
The nearest contribution to space that muslims have offered is their worshiping the moon. We’ve stuck a flag in their worship symbol.
Seems right that they would have the moon as a religious symbol. Islam is more associated with darkness.
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