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| Arabia | ||
| U.S. to Sell Saudi Arabia Four Advanced Warships | ||
| 2015-10-21 | ||
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... four advanced warships, officials said Tuesday, amid mounting regional tension.
The four ships, based on the U.S. Navy's littoral combat ship, are relatively small but designed to be fast and maneuverable in shallow water and to pack a punch. The statement from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it had notified the U.S. Congress of the State Department's decision and was awaiting final approval. The agency said the sale would "improve the security of a strategic regional partner, which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East." Dubbed a "multi-mission surface combatant ship" in its export version, the ships carry dozens of Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Its main gun is the 76mm OTO Melara, built in Italia, but the main contract for the vessels will go to US arms giant Lockheed Martin. The sale, if approved as expected, comes amid a renewed arms race in the Middle East. Russia has stepped up military support for Syria, a bitter foe of Saudi Arabia, and Saudi ally Egypt has agreed to buy two helicopter carrier vessels from La Belle France. | ||
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #7 OTOH ASSOCIATED PRESS > OBAMA TO VETO US$612.0BILYUHN DEFENSE BILL ON SPENDING, CUBA. To close GITMO, or to NOT close GITMO - clearly the US Govt. needs until Year 2100 or beyond to make a final decision??? As for the LCS, the US is repor planning to seriously upgrade its combat + information capabilities, so the KSA likely wants "in" on the New Super-MilTechs. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2015-10-21 23:41 |
| #6 Who's going to crew the ships, Arabs are too proud to do manual labor? Saudi naval ships tended to have crews drawn from the coastal regions (i.e. fishermen, 'maritime trade,' etc.) The practice used to be those from the Gulf side were sent to the Red Sea side and vice versa. My experience was that they were capable, if properly led. Petty officers weren't a problem, but given that the RSN tended to be a make-work program for Saudi princes, command grade quality was lacking. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2015-10-21 11:28 |
| #5 Reminds me of the Ayatollah class frigates that were sold to Iran but were never delivered because of the changes in Iran. I wonder if the folks writing the checks will be around.. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2015-10-21 10:20 |
| #4 Maybe the Saudis can hire Palestinians to holy stone and swab the decks. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2015-10-21 10:14 |
| #3 Who's going to crew the ships, Arabs are too proud to do manual labor? They'll be happy to be the officers. |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2015-10-21 09:30 |
| #2 When the checks clear? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2015-10-21 08:43 |
| #1 When are we going to tell them off re religious intolerance? |
| Posted by: paul 2015-10-21 07:08 |