Editor's Foreword

270 ThE MiliTAry BAlANcE 2010
Arty 1 bde (5 fd arty bn, 2 (SP) MRL bn, 1 (SP)
msl bn)
Avn 1 comd (1 atk hel bde, 1 hel bde)
Royal Guard 1 regt (3 lt inf bn)
eQUIpment by type
MBT 910: 115 M1-A2 Abrams; 200 in store; 145 AMX-30 in
store; 450 M-60A3
RECCE 300 AML-60/AML-90
AIFV 780: 380 AMX-10P; 400 M-2 Bradley each with 2 TOW
msl, 1 30mm gun
APC 2,240
APC (T) 1,650 M-113A1/M-113A2/M-113A3 (incl
variants)
APC (W) 190: ε40 AF-40-8-1 Al-Fahd (in store); 150 M-3
Panhard
ARTY 855
SP 155mm 170: 60 AU-F-1; 110 M-109A1B/M-109A2
TOWED 225: 105mm 100 M-101/M-102 in store; 155mm
117: 40 FH-70 in store; 50 M-114; 27 M-198 in store;
203mm 8 M-115 in store
MRL 60 ASTROS II
MOR 400:
SP 220: 81mm 70; 107mm 150 M-30
TOWED 180: 81mm/107mm M-30 70; 120mm 110
Brandt
AT • MSL 2,240+
SP 290+: 90+ AMX-10P (HOT); 200 VCC-1 ITOW
MANPATS 1950: 1,000 M47 Dragon; 950 TOW-2A
RCL 450: 84mm 300 Carl Gustav; 106mm 50 M-40A1;
90mm 100 M-67
RL 112mm ε200 APILAS
HELICOPTERS
ATK 12 AH-64 Apache
SPT 27: 12 S-70A-1 Desert Hawk; 15 Bell 406 CS Combat
Scout
UTL 28: 6 AS-365N Dauphin 2 (medevac); 22 UH-60A
Black Hawk (4 medevac)
AD • SAM 1,000+
SP Crotale
MANPAD 1,000: 500 FIM-43 Redeye; 500 FIM-92A Stinger
RADAR • LAND AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder/AN/TPQ-37
Firefinder (arty, mor)
MSL • TACTICAL • SSM 10+ CSS-2 (40 msl)
navy 13,500
FORCes by ROle
Navy 1 HQ (Eastern Fleet) located at Jubail; 1 HQ
(Western Fleet) located at Jeddah; 1 HQ (Naval
Forces) located at Riyadh
eQUIpment by type
PRINCIPAL SURFACE COMBATANTS 11
FRIGATES • FFG 7:
3 Al Riyadh with 1 octuple (8 eff.) with MM-40 Exocet
block II SSM, 2 x 8 cell VLS each with Aster 15 SAM,
1 x 76mm gun, 4 x 533mm TT each with F17P HWT
each with 1 hel landing platform (plus hangar for medsized
hel)
4 Madina (FRA F-2000) each with 2 quad (8 eff.) each
with Mk 2 Otomat SSM, 1 octuple (8 eff.) with 26
Crotale SAM, 4 x1 533mm ASTT each with F17P HWT,
1 100mm gun, (capacity 1 AS-365F Dauphin 2 utl hel)
CORVETTES • FSG 4 Badr (US Tacoma) each with 2 Mk
140 Harpoon quad (8 eff.) each with RGM-84C Harpoon
tactical SSM, 2 triple ASTT (6 eff.) each with Mk 46 LWT,
1 76mm gun
PATROL AND COASTAL COMBATANTS 65
PFM 9 Al Siddiq (US 58m) each with 2 Mk 140 twin each
with RGM-84C Harpoon tactical SSM, 1 76mm gun
PCI 17 (US Halter Marine, under 100 tonnes)
PBI 39 (FRA Simonneau)
MINE WARFARE • MINE COUNTERMEASURES 7
MCC 4 Addriyah (US MSC-322)
MHO 3 Al Jawf (UK Sandown)
AMPHIBIOUS 8
LCU 4 (capacity 120 troops)
LCM 4 (capacity 80 troops)
LOGISTICS AND SUPPORT 5
AORH 2 Boraida (mod FRA Durance) (capacity either 2
AS-365F Dauphin 2 utl hel or 1 AS-332C Super Puma spt
hel)
RY 3
FACIlItIes
Bases HQ (Eastern Fleet) located at Jubail; (HQ Western
Fleet) Jeddah; (HQ Naval Forces) Riyadh;
Dammam; Al Wajh; Ras al Mishab; Ras al Ghar
Naval Aviation
HELICOPTERS
ASLT 15 AS-565* each with AS-15TT tactical ASM
SPT 25: 12 AS-532B Super Puma/AS-332F Super Puma
each with AM-39 Exocet tactical ASM; 13 Bell 406 CS
Combat Scout
UTL 6 AS-365N Dauphin 2
Marines 3,000
FORCes by ROle
Inf 1 regt (2 Inf bn)
eQUIpment by type
APC (W) 140 BMP-600P
Air Force 20,000
FORCes by ROle
Ftr 1 sqn with Tornado ADV; 1 sqn with F-15S Eagle; 4
sqn with F-15C; F-15D Eagle
FGA 1 sqn with Typhoon Tranche 2; 3 sqn with Tornado
IDS (incl IDS recce); 1 sqn with F-5B Freedom Fighter/
F-5F Tiger II/RF-5E Tigereye; 2 sqn with F-15S Eagle
AEW 1 sqn with E-3A Sentry
Tpt 3 sqn with C-130E Hercules; C-130H Hercules;
C-130H-30 Hercules; CN-235; L-100-30HS (hospital ac)
Tkr sqn with KC-130H Hercules (tkr/tpt); KE-3A
OCU 2 sqn with F-5B Freedom Fighter*
Trg 3 sqn with Hawk MK65 (incl aerobatic team); Hawk
MK65A; 1 sqn with Jetstream MK31; sqn with MFI-17
Mushshak; 1 sqn with Cessna 172; 2 sqn with PC-9