The SC
INT'L MOD
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Saudi Arabia plans to spend one billion dollars on advanced American drones
February 28, 2025
General Atomics is preparing to provide a comprehensive deal to Saudi Arabia to purchase a number of MQ-9B Seaguardian aircraft, according to company officials in an interview during the IDEX weapons exhibition in Abu Dhabi.
Dave Alexander, president of "General Atomics for Aviation Systems", told Defense News, saying:
"We are still in the early stages, but we are strongly striving to complete this deal due to the great interest of Saudi Arabia with MQ-9B aircraft-and we expect that they have great needs that may lead to providing tens of thousands of jobs in the United States if we complete the deal."
Although he has reservations about the details, Alexander indicated that the deal includes "a large number of aircraft" in addition to other elements, and will also include local participation within the Kingdom. The company refused to provide more details about the contents of the deal.
In the past, Saudi Arabia headed to China and Turkey as a major supplier for drones, where Chinese Ch-4 bought 2014 and followed them with additional requests for Winglong II. In 2023, Saudi Arabia obtained the fighting "Akinci" combat Drone from the Turkish company "Baykar", which was described by its CEO, Khalouk Bayrakdar, as the largest defensive agreement in the history of the two countries.
Over the past few years, feelings of frustration have emerged in the Gulf region due to the great delay and the complex conditions imposed by the United States on its defensive exports. For example, in 2021, after the US State Department postponed to request by Qatar to buy MQ-9B aircraft, the Wall Street Journal reported that some Qatari officials expressed their annoyance for not receiving any explanations about this delay.
Alexander expressed optimism that things will change under the new Trump administration regarding the speeding of defensive deals with regional allies, where he said: "The future looks bright with this new administration, I think Trump will open the door to more business in the region, and will enable us to move forward and treat our partners here equally ... and completing deals without provoking everyone's anger on ridiculous conditions."
Alexander added that he expects to resume the sale of Seaguardian aircraft to the UAE under Trump's management.
The negotiation process began to export 18 MQ-9B aircraft in 2020 after the approval of the United States, but it faced numerous unrest. The deal was previously linked to the sale of 50 F-35 aircraft to the UAE, but was suspended due to concerns about the UAE's use of Chinese technology.
Alexander confirmed that the "General Atomix" offer is independent of any possible deal to buy fighters from Lockheed Martin, adding:
"These obstacles will not be honest with us anymore - the year 2025 will be great for us in the Gulf region."
It is noteworthy that Trump expressed his admiration for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he gathered with great commercial interests, while relations between the two countries witnessed a mute during the Biden administration.
February 28, 2025
General Atomics is preparing to provide a comprehensive deal to Saudi Arabia to purchase a number of MQ-9B Seaguardian aircraft, according to company officials in an interview during the IDEX weapons exhibition in Abu Dhabi.
Dave Alexander, president of "General Atomics for Aviation Systems", told Defense News, saying:
"We are still in the early stages, but we are strongly striving to complete this deal due to the great interest of Saudi Arabia with MQ-9B aircraft-and we expect that they have great needs that may lead to providing tens of thousands of jobs in the United States if we complete the deal."
Although he has reservations about the details, Alexander indicated that the deal includes "a large number of aircraft" in addition to other elements, and will also include local participation within the Kingdom. The company refused to provide more details about the contents of the deal.
In the past, Saudi Arabia headed to China and Turkey as a major supplier for drones, where Chinese Ch-4 bought 2014 and followed them with additional requests for Winglong II. In 2023, Saudi Arabia obtained the fighting "Akinci" combat Drone from the Turkish company "Baykar", which was described by its CEO, Khalouk Bayrakdar, as the largest defensive agreement in the history of the two countries.
Over the past few years, feelings of frustration have emerged in the Gulf region due to the great delay and the complex conditions imposed by the United States on its defensive exports. For example, in 2021, after the US State Department postponed to request by Qatar to buy MQ-9B aircraft, the Wall Street Journal reported that some Qatari officials expressed their annoyance for not receiving any explanations about this delay.
Alexander expressed optimism that things will change under the new Trump administration regarding the speeding of defensive deals with regional allies, where he said: "The future looks bright with this new administration, I think Trump will open the door to more business in the region, and will enable us to move forward and treat our partners here equally ... and completing deals without provoking everyone's anger on ridiculous conditions."
Alexander added that he expects to resume the sale of Seaguardian aircraft to the UAE under Trump's management.
The negotiation process began to export 18 MQ-9B aircraft in 2020 after the approval of the United States, but it faced numerous unrest. The deal was previously linked to the sale of 50 F-35 aircraft to the UAE, but was suspended due to concerns about the UAE's use of Chinese technology.
Alexander confirmed that the "General Atomix" offer is independent of any possible deal to buy fighters from Lockheed Martin, adding:
"These obstacles will not be honest with us anymore - the year 2025 will be great for us in the Gulf region."
It is noteworthy that Trump expressed his admiration for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he gathered with great commercial interests, while relations between the two countries witnessed a mute during the Biden administration.
