The Saudi Air Force – The Best in the Middle East?: Saudi Arabia arguably has the best equipped Air Force in the Gulf region. The aviation branch of its Armed Forces hosts over 1,000 aircraft, 40,000 active personnel and approximately 1,000 squadrons. Since the inception of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces, Riyadh has prioritized the development and advancement of its Air Force over its other military branches. In the last half century, the threat posed to Saudi Arabia from its regional adversaries shifted to include long-range capabilities, emphasizing the need to project air power. In order to acquire a robust aircraft arsenal, Riyadh relied on foreign exports.
Today, Saudi’s Air Force features a range of foreign-made airframes including F-15 Eagles, Eurofighter Typhoons and Panavia Tornados.
Saudi Air Force: A History
The Royal Saudi Air Force was established in the 1920’s when then-King Abd al-Aziz requested aid in the form of air power from Britain to squash uprisings across the country. The pilots, mechanics and airframes Britain provided officially turned into Riyadh’s Air Force in 1932. While British-Saudi arms sales made up the majority of Riyadh’s Air Force for the next few decades, U.S.-Saudi military cooperation also began to take off at this time. The U.S. agreed to export its cutting-edge F-15 fighter jets in 1978, followed by the sale of an Air Enhancement Package (including five Airborne Warning and Control Systems) two years later.
In 2010, Riyadh upgraded its F-15 fleet and brought on 84 F-15SA (Saudi Advanced) fighters in a Foreign Military Sale. Saudi’s newly advanced F-15 fleet has flown missions striking Houthi assets over Yemen in Operation Decisive Storm. Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi insurgents seized control of Yemen’s northern Saada province. F-15 Eagles continue to shoot down Houthi-launched missile and drone attacks over Saudi Arabia. Videos recently circulated depicting an F-15 employing a radar-homing AIM-120 advanced-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) to take out Houthi fire.
Last year, the Royal Saudi Air Force conducted air-to-air training drills with the U.S. over the King Fahad Air Base. American F-16 Fighting Falcons flew side by side with Riyadh’s F-15 Strike Eagles in an effort to integrate capabilities and “deter regional aggressors.” The U.S. Air Force’s 378th Expeditionary Operations Group commander stated, “This visit to Taif has undoubtedly strengthened our partnership and proven our abilities to integrate with the Royal Saudi Air Force.” He added that “The Saudis enabled us to validate our tactics, techniques and procedures by conducting integrated combat turns and subsequently expending live ordinances on their range.”
Saudi Air Force: What Next?
Saudi Arabia’s Air Force has depended heavily on foreign-made weapons and airframes for decades. In 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden vowed to take a tougher stance on Riyadh on the campaign trail. Biden referred to Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” state, condemning the country’s human rights record. However, the Biden administration signed off on a $500 million military contract with Saudi Arabia in November 2021.
If the U.S. ceases to provide arms to Riyadh in the future, the Royal Saudi Air Force would suffer the consequences.
Maya Carlin is a Middle East Defense Editor with 19FortyFive. She is also an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel.