Sunday, October 13, 2019

Should Saudi Arabia Buy Russian Weapons?

Reuters

Richard Weitz, National Interest: Saudi Arabia Should Be Careful About Buying Russian Weapons

Should Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or any other country receive the S-400, the United States would deny them the best U.S. defense technologies and redeploy any U.S. military aircraft based there.

The Pentagon had made the correct decision in sending four 360-degree AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radars to bolster the Saudi air and missile defenses, along with another Patriot air defense system and U.S. support personnel. Last month’s combined missile and drone strike inflicted serious damage on the Saudi oil refineries at Abqaiq and Khurais as well as broader U.S. national security interests.

The Houthis, a rebel group in neighboring Yemen, claimed responsibility for the bombardment. Yet, the United States, France, Germany, Britain, and other governments have blamed Iran for the assault given the direction of the attack from the northwest, which side-stepped the southward-oriented Patriots near the refineries; Iran’s ongoing aggressive behavior in the Gulf region; the resemblance of the offensive systems to those in Iran’s arsenal; as well as the sophistication and precision of the strike.

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WNU Editor:I can see Saudi Arabia buying some Russian weapon systems. But the big and expensive items .... nope.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Biggest difference between military hardware of the US and Russia is that US military equipment comes with US military personnel and defense agreements.

Buying Russian military equipment would undermine the security alliance with the US and in response the US would pull out. Simple notion being that any old Russian could come alone, reprogram the Russian equipment to target allied assets.

Jac said...

No change in the middle term of future, but Saudi feel America is not as much close as they was since they are self sufficient in oil. Strategy is targeting the long term, and certainty is not written.

Roger Smith said...


I agree Jac. Fraking and DJT have changed the relationship. Maybe a bit of obama thrown in there also.

Antitroll said...

USA stuff are over expensive and unreliable. Point was proven when their oil fields were hit.