Posted on 05/21/2017 7:38:55 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
RIYADH // Lockheed Martin said on Sunday it inked a US$28 billion deal with Saudi Arabia to supply a wide range of military equipment and set up a facility to assemble about 150 S-70 Black Hawk helicopters.
The deal is part of an estimated $110bn of defence agreements signed on Saturday between the US and Saudi Arabia, where President Donald Trump is leading a high-level delegation on his first international trip since taking office.
The Lockheed deals will create 18,000 skilled jobs in the US and thousands of jobs in Saudi Arabia as both countries seek to be active in job creation as part of their political mandates. Saudi Arabia has outlined Vision 2030 that aims to develop new industries such as defence and lower foreign defence purchases, while President Trump is keen to support US job creation.
More than 50 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s military spending is envisaged to be sourced locally by 2030 under Vision 2030, the brainchild of deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Lockheed signed letters of intent and a memorandum of intent to sell Saudi Arabia technology that includes integrated air and missile defence systems, multi-mission surface combatant ships, radar systems, surveillance systems, tactical aircraft and rotary wing programs, the defence company said in a statement.
Lockheed also signed a letter of intent with Taqnia, a technology development and investment company owned by sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), to form a joint venture for final assembly and completion of Black Hawk utility helicopters for the Saudi government.
Lockheed also signed an initial agreement with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami), which is owned by PIF, to help the newly-formed defence company build its industrial capability and "provide for localisation efforts associated with multi-mission Surface Combatants and Aerostats".
Saudi Arabia wants Sami to be one of the world’s top 25 defence companies by 2030 as it seeks to add thousands of manufacturing jobs and diversify its income away from oil.
Raytheon and General Dynamics also signed agreements yesterday with Saudi Arabia aimed at helping develop the kingdom’s defence industry.
Not give
Sell
Or they could buy similar helicopters from Russia
And bring in Russian advisors to,operate the program
Why do we need a Sunni counterweight to Iran?
ISIS is Sunni
Besides that, Sunnis and Shias have been at each other’s throats for over 1,000 years. Sometime one has had the upper hand in a region, sometimes the other.
Neither one likes us or any Western country or would lift a finger to help us in any way (unless they can get us to fight their wars for them). They’d rather see us dead.
What is our stake in an Islamic religious civil war?
Yes. Technology transfer to our enemies.
Sellout by USA reps, since USA is not a real superpower anymore. We must grovel before Islam and others for help and give away secrets to boot.
I am not old!
I may be fool, that is certainly a possibility.
But I’d rather be a fool who doesn’t want our future military men and women blown to bits by our own technology.
I like the deal. It is just another one of those things that confounds the ardent Trump supporters. Like no wall and no trade wars. I repeat this at every chance: 1. Great SC nominees 2. Immigration sanity. All else is gravy.
O set the ME aflame and it was on the verge of burning us. Now President Trump will have to go to heroic lengths just to resettle the region so that the chaos doesn’t spread here. I see this deal as exactly that. Israel, Saud, Jordan, UAE will be the NATO of the ME.
I can see there is some debate here. I’d prefer the jobs on the helicopters go to Americans.
But if I had to choose to defend the Saudi’s with US weapons at US expense or having them defend themselves with their own weapons at their expense, I’d choose the latter.
Am I wrong here?
“I have not heard good things about the work ethic in the Arab culture.”
Having lived a few miles away from Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford CT I can tell you that it’s like any other American manufacturing facility.
There are 10 guys there who know what they are doing, and they are the treasure of the company. The rest are pill addicts and drunks.
Valid points, most of these deals involve local assembly with little content made there.
The Blackhawk is not exactly cutting edge technology, since it dates back to the 70’s.
Sikorsky is already doing this in Poland with The Blackhawk there with PZL.
For the record the Russians and the Chinese already have arms deals with Saudi Arabia.
“Russia and Saudi Arabia Reach $10 Billion Arms Deal”
https://uawire.org/news/russia-and-saudi-arabia-reach-10-billion-arms-deal#
“China to open drone factory in Saudi Arabia:”
http://www.defensenews.com/articles/china-to-open-a-drone-factory-in-saudi-arabia
The United States has had military/defense relationships with Saudi Arabia since 1933.
Saudi Arabia ended diplomatic contacts with Germany on 11 September 1939, and with Japan in October 1941. Although officially neutral, the Saudis provided the Allies with large supplies of oil. Formal diplomatic relations with the United States were established in 1943. King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud was a personal friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Americans were then allowed to build an air force base near Dhahran. Saudi Arabia declared war on Germany on 28 February 1945 and Japan on 1 April 1945, but no military actions resulted from the declaration.
Its about oil. We have a huge economic vested interest in not having the majority of the world’s oil supply and reserves controlled by either the communists in Venezuela or radical Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in the Middle East.
While we are making huge strides toward energy independence, we still import about 25% of the oil we consume.
Look at it this way, the President just negotiated the largest arms sale in U.S. history with the nation that controls the richest corporation in world history, Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabian Oil Company). Its “The Art of the Deal,” its what Donald Trump does.
.........I totally agree.
I think Hussein proved this with his Air Force. With some good equipment, all they could do was haul ass to old foe Iran when confronted with our guys coming at them.
Lol, I would have too!
Just kidding! If I were representing the US I would have climbed all over them and done my duty like so many others have done.
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