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Royal Saudi Navy

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This article is about the Royal Saudi Navy. For other Royal Navies, see Royal Navy (disambiguation).
Royal Saudi Arabian Navy
Founded8 May 1796 (228 years)[1]
CountryArabian Kingdom
Allegiance Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Branch MODA (1933– present)
TypeNavy
RoleMaritime warfare
Size48,300 Officers & sailors
12,500 Royal Marines
60,800 regular personnel
300+ ships
50+ aircraft (2016 est.)[2]
Part of Saudi Arabia Armed Forces
Garrison/HQRiyadh, KSA
Nickname(s)RSNF
Anniversaries23 September
Engagements
Commanders
Chief of Naval StaffVice Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan al-Sultan
Insignia
Ensign
Jack
Naval base flag

The Royal Saudi Navy is the Naval force of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, sometimes referred to as the RSNF (Royal Saudi Naval Forces). The Navy has about 60,000 officers and men, including Marines. The Naval headquarters is in Riyadh. The Western Fleet is based in the Red Sea with the main base at Jeddah. The Eastern Fleet is based in the Persian Gulf with headquarters at Jubail. Other naval facilities were located at Yanbu, Dammam, and Ras Mishab.

History

The Navy was founded in 1957 and began a significant expansion with United States assistance in 1972 aiming to match the Imperial Iranian Navy. Following the Iranian Revolution a further expansion programme was initiated with French assistance, this was the Sawari programme. Further vessels were purchased from Britain and France in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1980, U.S. defense contractor Science Applications International Corporation began work with the Royal Saudi Navy to design and integrate the country's own command, control, and communications (C3) centers.[9]

Ships

The navy is a modern force with foreign built ships:

HMS Makkah
King Abdul-Aziz Naval Base in Jubail, home to the eastern fleet of the Royal Saudi Navy

Frigates

  • Three Al Riyadh-class frigates are modified versions of the Template:Sclass- (built by DCN, Lorient), have a fully loaded displacement of 4,725 tons, are armed with eight MBDA Exocet MM40 Block II surface-to-surface missiles (SSM), two eight-cell Sylver vertical launch systems for the Eurosam (MBDA and Thales) Aster 15 surface-to-air missile (SAM), the main gun is the Oto Melara 76 mm/62 Super Rapid, there are four 533 mm aft torpedo tubes. The ships are armed with the DCNS F17 heavyweight anti-submarine torpedo. The helicopter deck at the stern has a single landing spot for a medium size helicopter, such as the Eurocopter AS 365 Dauphin or the larger AS 532 Cougar or NH90 helicopters.
  • 812 Al Riyadh (2002)
  • 814 Makkah (2003)
  • 816 Dammam (2004)
  • Four Al Madinah-class frigates based in the Red Sea, built in France (Arsenal de Marine, Lorient (French Government Dockyard) and CNIM, La Seyne) in the mid-1980s. Their full load displacement is 2,610 tons and they are armed with eight Otomat surface-to-surface missiles, one 8-cell Crotale surface-to-air missile launcher (26 missiles total), one 100 mm/44 dual purpose gun, two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, four torpedo tubes, an aft helicopter deck and hangar; one Dauphin helicopter.
  • 702 Al Madinah (1985)
  • 704 Hofouf (1985)
  • 706 Abha (1986)
  • 708 Taif (1986)

It was believed the Saudis intended to order two new British-built Type 45 destroyers,[10] however production of the destroyers came to an end with no order made. Another destroyer that the Saudis are considering is the American built Template:Sclass-, having been briefed by the US Navy in May 2011 on the acquisition of two destroyers in a package that also includes an unknown number of Littoral Combat Ships.[11]

Corvettes

  • 4 Template:Sclass-s built in the United States in 1981–83, based in the Persian Gulf, full load displacement of 1,038 tons, armament of eight Harpoon SSM, one 76 mm OTO DP gun, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two 20 mm guns, one 81 mm mortar, two 40 mm grenade launchers, two triple 12.75 inch torpedo tubes
  • 612 Badr (1981)
  • 614 Al-Yarmook (1982)
  • 616 Hitteen (1982)
  • 618 Tabuk (1983)

Patrol boats

Missile patrol boat Oqbah (525)
The gunboat Faisal
  • 9 Al Sadiq-class patrol boats built in the United States (Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin) 1972–1980, full load displacement of 495 tons, armed with four Harpoon SSM, one 76 mm OTO gun, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two 20 mm guns, one 81 mm mortar, two 40 mm grenade launchers, two triple 12.75 inch torpedo tubes
  • 511 As-Siddiq (الصّدّيق) (1980)
  • 513 Al-Farouq (1981) (الفاروق)
  • 515 Abdul-Aziz (1981)
  • 517 Faisal (1981)
  • 519 Khalid (1982)
  • 521 Amr (1982)
  • 523 Tariq (1982)
  • 525 Ouqbah (1982) (عُقبه)
  • 527 Abu Obaidah (1982) (أبو عُبيده)
  • Possible sale of 30 Mark V Special Operations Craft[12]

Minesweepers

Support vessels

Others

Many smaller patrol craft, two Danish-built royal yachts

  • Prince Abdul Aziz (1983–84) – built by Helsingør Værft
  • Al Yamana (Built for Iraq 1981; entered service in Saudi Arabia in 1988)
Aircraft Origin Type Versions In service Notes
Sikorsky MH-60R  USA ASW/ASuW Helicopter 10 Ordered May 2015 - armed with Hellfire missiles
AS332 Super Puma  FRA ASW helicopter B1, M1, F1S1, F1S2 20
AS565 SA Dauphin  FRA SAR helicopter 24

Future

Saudi Arabia wants to buy five German submarines for around €2.5 billion ($3.4 billion) and more than two dozen more in the future.[13]

In December 2014, the U.S. awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for a Foreign Military Sale of the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System to Saudi Arabia. With no surface ships compatible with the Mk 41 and no plans to acquire a land-based missile defense system, this indicates the country is close to purchasing a VLS-equipped surface combatant. Saudi Arabia has evaluated the Template:Sclass- and the Multi-mission Combat Ship version of the Template:Sclass- able to carry a VLS.[14] In October 2015, the truth came as the US informed Congress of a possible sale of Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) Ships, a variant of the LCS.[15]

Bases

  • Jeddah – Red Sea base home to the navy's Western fleet for frigates and 2 missile boats, 1 replenishing ship and 1 patrol minesweeper; located north of the King Faisal Naval Base air station and south of the container port area
  • Jubail – Persian Gulf base is home to the navy's Eastern fleet; smaller base home to corvettes, replenishing ship remaining missile boats and minesweepers
  • Dammam – Persian Gulf home port for the Saudi Royal family's two Royal Yachts

Ranks

Officers
  • Ensign (Arabic: ملازم)
  • Lieutenant Junior Grade (Arabic: ملازم أول)
  • Lieutenant (Arabic: نقيب)
  • Lieutenant-Commander (Arabic: رائد)
  • Commander (Arabic: مقدم)
  • Captain (Arabic: عقيد)
  • Commodore (Arabic: عميد)
  • Rear-Admiral (Arabic: لواء)
  • Vice-Admiral (Arabic: فريق)
  • Admiral (Arabic: فريق أول)
Enlisted
  • Private (Arabic: جندي)
  • First Class Private (Arabic: جندي أول)
  • Corporal (Arabic: عريف)
  • Vice Sergeant (Arabic: وكيل رقيب)
  • Sergeant (Arabic: رقيب)
  • First Class Sergeant (Arabic: رقيب أول)
  • Master Sergeant (Arabic: رئيس رقباء)

References

  1. ^ "Bahrain - McGill School Of Computer Science".
  2. ^ "Military Power World".
  3. ^ United Nations Operation In Somalia
  4. ^ Saudi Gazette. "Saudi Gazette". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Saudi Vessel Helps Thwart Attack On Turkish Ship". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  6. ^ "Anti-pirates success story: Saudis chase off attackers of cargo ship". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  7. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ig6WH4DrES6KdGNhDQ_sDz2aJBxgD9BSNQO82
  8. ^ Saudi Gazette. "Navy sinks 2 infiltrator vessels". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  9. ^ Dr. J. Robert Beyster with Peter Economy, The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company, John Wiley & Sons (2007) p. 49
  10. ^ The Independent, "UK seeks £2bn Saudi destroyer contract" By Michael Harrison, 9 March 2007
  11. ^ Defense News, "Saudi Arabia Mulling BMD-Capable Destroyers" By Christopher P. Cavas , 13 June 2011
  12. ^ "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Mark V Patrol Boats". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Report: Saudi Arabia Eyes Buying German Submarines". Defense News. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  14. ^ FMS of MK 41 Vertical Launch Systems May Indicate Purchase of LCS or DDG by Saudi Arabia - Navyrecognition.com, 18 December 2014
  15. ^ http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/kingdom-saudi-arabia-multi-mission-surface-combatant-mmsc-ships

Sources

  • Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995
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