Royal Saudi Air Defense
The Saudi Arabian Air Defense Forces (Arabic: الدِفَّاع الجوّي المَلكِيَّ السُّعُودِيَّ) or officially Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RSADF) is the aerial defense service branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. It is fourth of the five service branches of the MOD.[1][4] It has its HQ in Riyadh,[lower-alpha 2] where there is also an elaborate underground command facility that co-ordinates Arabian Kingdom's advanced "Peace Shield" radar and air defense system, with an estimated 40,000 active duty military personnel in 2015.[3][2] Along with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), it has responsibility for securing the skies of Saudi Arabia.[5]
Royal Saudi Air Defense | |
---|---|
الدِفَّاع الجوّي المَلكِيَّ السُّعُودِيَّ | |
Emblem of the R.S. Air Defense Forces | |
Founded | 1930[lower-alpha 1] |
Country | |
Allegiance | CTHM |
Branch | Defense |
Type | Air defense |
Role | Aerial warfare |
Size | 40,000 (2015 est.)[2][3] |
Part of | Royal Armed Forces |
Headquarters | Riyadh (central HQ)[4] |
Colors | |
Engagements | Gulf War l Gulf War ll Decisive Storm |
Website | www.rsadf.gov.sa |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lt. General Mazyad al-Amro |
Insignia | |
Flag |
Overview
Towards the end of the 1970s, a paradigm shift occurred with the SAAF with the making of the RSAD Corps as a separate and equivalent service, equal to the Army, Navy, and Air Forces. It is no longer subordinate to the RSLF. The impetus behind this shift is the ever-changing threat. The concern by the Kingdom of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their mechanism of delivery, resulted in the early understanding by the MoD of the requirement to transform, and thus the creation of the RSADF.[6]
Peace Shield
- Remote-controlled air/ground radio communications sites.
- 17 Lockheed Martin AN/FPS-117 long-range phased array, 3-dimensional air search radar.
- 6 Northrop-Grumman AN/TPS-43 portable 3-dimensional tactical air search radar.
- Raytheon Improved HAWK air defense missile system.
- Raytheon MIM-104 Patriot air defense missile system
- Oerlikon Contraves Skyguard 35mm Twin Cannon Short Range air defense system
- Lockheed Martin THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system.
Source:[7]
Past Inventory
Weapon | Origin | 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2006 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anti-Aircraft Artillery | ||||||
M163 VADS | United States | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | |
AMX-30SA | France | 50 | 50 | 50 | 850 | |
Oerlikon GDF | Switzerland | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | |
Bofors 40mm L/70 | Sweden | 150 | 150 | 150 | 70 | |
Surface-to-Air Missiles | ||||||
Shahine | France | 141 | 141 | 141 | 1,156 | |
I-HAWK | United States | 128 | 128 | 128 | 2,048 | |
Crotale | France | 0 | 40 | 40 | 40 | |
FIM-92A Stinger/Avenger | United States | 0 | 0 | 400 | 400 | |
FIM-43 Redeye | United States | 0 | 0 | 500 | 500 | |
Mistral | France | 0 | 0 | 500 | 500 | |
PAC-2 Patriot | United States | 0 | 0 | 0 | 640 | |
See also
Notes
- 1930–1955 (as a part of the Artillery Arm of the Saudi Army)[1] 1956–1963 (as a part of the formation of the Artillery Corps)
1963–1983 (an independent corps of the R.S. Land Forces) 1984– present (fourth armed service branches of the MOD). - Air Defense Ministry Building designed by Arthur Erickson Architects with Bing Thom
References
- "Royal Saudi Land Forces History". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- Anthony Cordesman (2009). Saudi Arabia: National Security in a Troubled Region. Center for Strategic and International Studies. p. 387.
- "Saudi Arabia spends 25% of its budget on its military — here's what it has for the money". www.uk.businessinsider.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- Al Saud, K. Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, al-Moqatel (in Arabic) online.
- "Royal Saudi Air Defence Force - Responsibilities".
- "Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- Janes-Military-Communications, 5 July 2005, Peace Shield (Saudi Arabia), Systems Archived 28 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2012-01-23
- Cordesman, A. H., Al-Rodhan, K. R. (2006). Gulf Military Forces in an Era of Asymmetric Wars. United Kingdom: Praeger Security International. P. 208
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air defense of Saudi Arabia. |
- R.S. Air Defense official website
- Moqatel (Warrior Desert)