Article

2007-09-18 Arabia

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Posted by Seafarious 2007-09-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 That's a lot of planes. You would almost think they were worried about something. So who is going to teach 'em how to fly?

Posted by SteveS 2007-09-18 02:34|| 2007-09-18 02:34|| Front Page Top

#2 Hawker Typhoons? With 24-cylinder sleeve-valve Napier Sabre engines?

Cool. Obsolete, but cool.

Posted by Mike 2007-09-18 06:22|| 2007-09-18 06:22|| Front Page Top

#3 72 Typhoon ... 4.43 billion sterling pound

That's $123 million/plane. Incredible, but that's what the British claim they are also paying for the Typhoon. Another £5B for munitions and £10B for maintenance will keep a lot to Brits and Europeans employed.

The unaccounted cost is what kind of protection guarantee did Britain give the Saudis since I can't imagine Americans ever again sending their young men and women to save the Saudis.

Posted by ed 2007-09-18 06:46|| 2007-09-18 06:46|| Front Page Top

#4 That's in addition to 20 billion worth of weapons from USA?

Posted by gromgoru 2007-09-18 08:33|| 2007-09-18 08:33|| Front Page Top

#5 Saudi Arabia announced on Monday it has purchased 72 Typhoon planes in addition to transference of technology and investment in the field of defense industries in Saudi Arabia as well as training of Saudi citizens in the field of aviation.

Training saudi citizens in the field of aviation has not worked out so well for us in the past. The fewer arabs who can fly the better.

Posted by Excalibur 2007-09-18 09:32|| 2007-09-18 09:32|| Front Page Top

#6 Nice. But are these planes coming with the £390k non-firing, gun-shaped ballast feature as lusted after by the UK's MoD, or the £400k firing, gun-shaped gun feature as lusted after by people with an iota of intelligence?

Posted by Bulldog 2007-09-18 12:16|| 2007-09-18 12:16|| Front Page Top

#7 RE; Training: When I was at NAS PAX we had some F/A 18s for the Saudis; doing some work for them and when it came time to transfer them to the Saudis, they were aghast to find out that wymen had actually flown the aircraft! to prevent a diplomatic row, McDonnell Douglas ( this was pre-merger) installed brand new, never been sat in seats, seat pans, the whole deal. I would imaging there is going to be some of that this time around..... it was a real laugh watching these sand rats spin and spin....

Posted by USN, Ret. 2007-09-18 14:08|| 2007-09-18 14:08|| Front Page Top

#8 You sure those weren't the liberal, liberated Kuwaitis? Saudi don't have F-18s. The only other other muslim dominated F-18 user is Malaysia.

Posted by ed 2007-09-18 15:35|| 2007-09-18 15:35|| Front Page Top

#9 ed, you are right, it was the Kuwatis, i got my muzzies mixed up. (in they getaway burquas they all look alike) thanks for the correction.

Posted by USN, Ret. 2007-09-18 16:20|| 2007-09-18 16:20|| Front Page Top

#10 There will come a time when all shipments to the MME (Muslim Middle East) of aircraft, arms, computers, desalination plants and even food will need to end. If we do not have the will to simply kill our enemy, then we had better find a way to starve them to death. No good will come of showing any humanity to the MME.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-09-18 23:18|| 2007-09-18 23:18|| Front Page Top

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