Saudi Arabia has signed off on a deal with the U.S. to buy 84 F-15SA fighter planes and upgrade its current fleet of 10 F-15S aircraft.
An Air Force release issued Friday said the $29.4 billion deal is the largest military sales contract in U.S. history. The project is led by Lt. Gen. Thomas Owen, Air Force Aeronautical Systems commander and former commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center.
The contract will involve program management personnel at Robins Air Force Base, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and Langley Air Force Base, Va., as well as many other Air Force and Navy organizations, the release stated.
It was unclear Friday, however, whether that will mean more jobs at Robins, which recently was tasked with cutting 600 jobs as part of an overall Air Force cost-cutting initiative.
The contract will upgrade Saudi Arabia?s current F-15S fleet to the SA configuration.
?We are excited about the program and the increased capability it will bring to Saudi Arabia, a strategically important partner in the Middle East region,? Heidi Grant, the deputy secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, said in the release. ?Building partner capacity is becoming even more important, and the Royal Saudi Air Force is undertaking a vast effort to not only modernize their fighter fleet but to invest heavily in quality training.?
The agreement also includes Saudi airmen getting training at a number of U.S. Air Force installations. They will train alongside U.S. counterparts, ?enriching training for both countries and enhancing an already strong relationship between the two countries,? the release stated. More than 300 Saudi airmen are expected to come to the U.S. for training.
Training Saudi airmen in the U.S. is not new. Saudis have come here for training for 25 years, the release stated, and since 2007 more than 1,000 Saudis have trained on U.S. soil. Training programs have included pilot, navigator, logistics, maintenance, explosive ordnance disposal and professional military education courses.
In a news briefing Thursday, the State Department said the sale of the Boeing-made jets will involve 600 suppliers in 44 states, ultimately leading to 50,000 jobs.
Air Force orders cutting-edge simulators
Pilots of one of the most sophisticated fighter planes ever built will train in one of the most advanced simulators ever developed.
According to a story in the Air Force Times last week, Lockheed Martin and Air Force officials said the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter simulator is unlike any other ever developed. It is so advanced that pilots will be able to practice one of their most difficult tasks, in-flight refueling, the story stated. Lt. Col. Eric Smith, an F-35 test pilot and instructor, said it?s the first simulator to be able to accurately mimic in-flight refueling.
The simulators cost $20 million each, and the Air Force has ordered 10.
To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.
Source: http://www.macon.com/2012/01/01/1845358/saudi-arabia-inks-record-deal.html
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