Al-Yamamah arms deal: Difference between revisions
see also Wafic Saïd |
Eurofighter |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
'''Al Yamamah''' ("The Dove") is the name of a series of massive [[arms sales]] by the [[United Kingdom]] to [[Saudi Arabia]], which were paid for by the delivery of up to 600,000 [[Barrel (unit)|barrels]] of [[crude oil|oil]] per day over a period of many years to the U.K. [[government]]. The first sales occurred in [[September]] [[1985]]. |
'''Al Yamamah''' ("The Dove") is the name of a series of massive [[arms sales]] by the [[United Kingdom]] to [[Saudi Arabia]], which were paid for by the delivery of up to 600,000 [[Barrel (unit)|barrels]] of [[crude oil|oil]] per day over a period of many years to the U.K. [[government]]. The first sales occurred in [[September]] [[1985]]. |
||
==Summary== |
|||
Although the full extent of the deal has never been fully clarified, it has been described as "the biggest [U.K.] sale of anything to anyone". At a minimum, it is believed to involve the supply and support of [[Panavia Tornado]], [[BAE Hawk]] and [[Pilatus PC-9]] aircraft, specialised naval vessels, and various infrastructure works. |
Although the full extent of the deal has never been fully clarified, it has been described as "the biggest [U.K.] sale of anything to anyone". At a minimum, it is believed to involve the supply and support of [[Panavia Tornado]], [[BAE Hawk]] and [[Pilatus PC-9]] aircraft, specialised naval vessels, and various infrastructure works. |
||
| Line 26: | Line 27: | ||
==Future== |
==Future== |
||
The UK continues to pursue military contracts with Saudi Arabia. In December 2005 it was announced that Saudi Arabia is to acquire up to 72 [[Eurofighter Typhoon]]s (reportedly 48 aircraft and 24 options [http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article334653.ece]). The fact that the deal mirrors the conditions of the previous Al Yamamah contracts suggests that it is in effect Al Yamamah III (i.e. BAE the contractor, secrecy over contract details and payment in oil via the UK government). The BBC estimates the value of the contract at £6bn ($10.6bn). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4550670.stm] |
|||
The UK continues to pursue military contracts with Saudi Arabia. BAE is keen to upgrade current Saudi equipment and to sell new equipment, e.g. the [[Eurofighter Typhoon]]. |
|||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
Revision as of 17:15, 23 December 2005
Al Yamamah ("The Dove") is the name of a series of massive arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, which were paid for by the delivery of up to 600,000 barrels of oil per day over a period of many years to the U.K. government. The first sales occurred in September 1985.
Summary
Although the full extent of the deal has never been fully clarified, it has been described as "the biggest [U.K.] sale of anything to anyone". At a minimum, it is believed to involve the supply and support of Panavia Tornado, BAE Hawk and Pilatus PC-9 aircraft, specialised naval vessels, and various infrastructure works.
The U.K. government’s prime contractor for the project is BAE Systems plc. BAE has approximately 4000 employees working directly with the Royal Saudi Air Force (also see Military of Saudi Arabia).
The success of the initial contract has been attributed to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who lobbied hard on behalf of British industry. There have been numerous allegations† that the Al Yamamah contracts were a result of bribery of members of the Saudi royal family and government officials. Some allegations suggested that the Prime Minister's son Mark Thatcher may have been involved, however he has strongly denied receiving payments or exploiting his mother's connections in his business dealings. The UK National Audit Office investigated the contracts and has so far not published its conclusions - the only NAO report ever to be withheld.
Al Yamamah stage I
Deliveries began in 1989, comprising
- 48 Panavia Tornado Interdictor Strike (IDS)s
- 24 Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant, equivalent to RAF Tornado F3 standard
- JP233 Runway Denial Munition
- Sea Eagle Anti Ship Missile
- ALARM Anti-Radar Missile
Al Yamamah stage II
Deliveries early 1990s - 1998
- 48 Panavia Tornado IDSs
Future
The UK continues to pursue military contracts with Saudi Arabia. In December 2005 it was announced that Saudi Arabia is to acquire up to 72 Eurofighter Typhoons (reportedly 48 aircraft and 24 options [1]). The fact that the deal mirrors the conditions of the previous Al Yamamah contracts suggests that it is in effect Al Yamamah III (i.e. BAE the contractor, secrecy over contract details and payment in oil via the UK government). The BBC estimates the value of the contract at £6bn ($10.6bn). [2]
See also
External links
- † e.g. [3]