Frag Out! Magazine

Apart from purchasing new aircraft, the Saudis want to establish a training facility in the USA so as not to make the new equipment travel half the world – photo by Anthony osborne Ä 200,000 20mm Cartridges Ä 400,000 20mm target Practice Cartridges Ä 400 AGM-84 Block II HARPOON Missiles Ä 600 AGM-88B HARM Missiles Ä 169 Digital Electronic Warfare Systems (DEWS) Ä 158 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Targeting Systems Ä 169 AN/AAS-42 Infrared Search and track (IrSt) Systems Ä 10 DB-110 reconnaissance Pods Ä 462 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System Helmets Ä 40 remotely operated Video Enhanced receivers(roVEr) Ä 80 Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation Pods Ä a set of training-logistics packages, Ä assistance in air base infrastructure modernization, Ä spares, etc. they also wanted to have a training site arranged in the uSA, where 12 F-15SA Strike Eagles were to be stationed. It is highly likely that the block of the sale of the F-15s in the then-lat- est version, i.e. F-15SE Silent Eagle, was dictated by certain political considerations in the uSA. the said variant, featuring radar-absor- bent material (highly effective, according to the manufacturer), could have upset the safety of Israel, which decided to procure the F-35I Lightning II fighters. The first supplies of F-15SAs (both brand-new and upgraded Ss) began in December 2016. the manufacturer kept their silence on the fact, and the data confirming the commence- ment of the supplies came from spotters and analyses of records of flights of tankers accompanying the above-mentioned process. At present, the assembly line of F-15 Eagles focuses on the Saudi order, but in the months to come, Boeing may expect more export contracts. It's been officially said that Qatar wishes to buy 36-72 F-15QAs (which may feature a similar standard of equipment for po- litical reasons). According to some sources, there are negotiations underway with Israel, reportedly interested in purchasing 36-40 mul- tipurpose Strike Eagles that would reinforce the 25 F-15I ra'ams in current use and support a fleet of 50-75 F-35I Adirs in the future. If both deals are closed, Boeing's manufacturing plant in St. Louis will be busy throughout the whole next decade. AVIATION

• Cover