http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2008/...74931218128855/
China wins key Saudi artillery contract
By ANDREI CHANG
HONG KONG, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- China has signed a contract to provide Saudi Arabia with PLZ-45 155mm self-propelled howitzers for one battalion, according to an authoritative military industry source. One battalion normally would be armed with 27 such guns.
This represents a second successful sale of PLZ-45s to the Middle East, following an earlier sale to Kuwait. In 2000 China exported 54 of the self-propelled guns to Kuwait, sufficient to arm two battalions.
This latest batch of PLZ-45s is primarily to be used for testing purposes, according to the industry source. Once the Saudi military determines that the weapons meet its needs, it likely will import more of the howitzers.
However, the United States has voiced objections to the Saudis' procurement of Chinese-made howitzers, the source said.
Kuwait also faced immense pressure from the United States when it decided to import PLZ-45s from China. The publisher of a military journal in Kuwait told the author during a meeting in Abu Dhabi the reason Kuwait chose to purchase the PLZ-45s was the weapons compared well with similar systems available from the West, including the U.S.-made M109A3 howitzer. The guns performed satisfactorily in live-fire tests, he said, and China's price could not be beat.
This is the first time for the Saudi Arabian army to purchase Chinese-made weapons. Riyadh also has expressed keen interest in the Pakistani-made A1-Khalid main battle tank, or MBT-2000. Pakistan plans to send the tank directly to Saudi Arabia for an in-kind exhibition.
The PLZ-45 fires three types of munitions -- ERFB/HE, ERFB-BB/HE and ERFB-BB/RA/HE projectiles, which have respective firing ranges of 18, 24 and 30 miles.
In addition, China has introduced Russian Krasnopol 155mm gun-launched laser-guided munitions, under license from Russia.
The Kuwaiti military observer told the author the Kuwaiti army is not deliberating over whether it needs to import Chinese-made guided munitions. He said the army has received a price offer on munitions from Chinese weapons supplier Norinco and a technical introduction of the system.
So far, the United Arab Emirates is the only country that has imported the Chinese version of the Krasnopol, which the Chinese call the GP1. The PLZ-45s to be exported to Saudi Arabia do not include GP1 projectiles.
Another source from the military industry says the People's Liberation Army is already using the latest Chinese Type 05 52x 155mm self-propelled gun, but there is currently no plan to export this weapon to overseas markets. The reason is that the Chinese system is still technologically inferior to the NATO 155mm gun.
The PLZ-45 system already has attained the NATO standard, however, and is thus capable of firing all types of munitions. It fires four to five rounds per minute, and a full load is 30 rounds.
Several international military observers have voiced the opinion that the Type 05 52x 155mm self-propelled gun currently in use by the PLA is extremely similar to the Russian 2S19 serial 155mm SPG. When asked about this, the designer of the PLZ-45 says such speculation is groundless and not true.
"China developed its 155mm SPG much earlier than Russia, and the PLZ-45 was exported to overseas countries as early as 2000. There is no similar system in Russia comparable to the Chinese-made 155mm SPG," he insisted.
Full Version: China Wins Key Saudi Artillery Contract
well done China! 
i don't like when some news resources give news about something but then they ruin it with an unnecessary false information.
obviously whoever wrote this never heard of the DF-3A Ballistic missiles which KSA bought from China in 1984 which are still in service today.
any US objections have no effect on KSA's decisions in buying weaponry from any country.
QUOTE(Daredevil @ Aug 8 2008, 08:16 AM) 
This is the first time for the Saudi Arabian army to purchase Chinese-made weapons.
obviously whoever wrote this never heard of the DF-3A Ballistic missiles which KSA bought from China in 1984 which are still in service today.
QUOTE(Daredevil @ Aug 8 2008, 08:16 AM)
However, the United States has voiced objections to the Saudis' procurement of Chinese-made howitzers, the source said.
any US objections have no effect on KSA's decisions in buying weaponry from any country.
May I ask, why did the US protest ?
QUOTE(harrypotter @ Aug 8 2008, 04:44 AM)
May I ask, why did the US protest ?
It is extremely complicated,...to put it mildly.
But, in a nutshell, it has a lot more to do with the Saudi themselves than our "commercial interest".
Chinese artillary is really very advanced and of NATO standard.
Saudis operate over 250 Paladins.
Why get 27 howitzers of a new type then?
Oil dollars being used for diplomacy?
Why get 27 howitzers of a new type then?
Oil dollars being used for diplomacy?
BAE in new £20bn Saudi arms deal
Contract for more warplanes to follow Lords’ support for closure of bribery inquiry
BAE Systems is in talks to sell dozens more Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia in a deal that will reawaken bribery allegations made over earlier arms sales to the Gulf kingdom.
Senior defence-industry sources said last week the negotiations, which have been under way for some months, have been given added impetus by a controversial House of Lords decision last month.
The Lords said the Serious Fraud Office had been right to suspend a probe into alleged bribery, reversing an earlier Court of Appeal decision.
BAE, Britain’s largest defence contractor, may provide as many as 70 extra combat aircraft to the Saudis, although some defence industry executives say the contract is likely to be for 48.
Related Links
* SFO 'courageous' in dropping BAE probe
* BAE Systems appoints Ian King as new chief executive
Saudi Arabia has already bought 72 Eurofighters, the first of which are being built by BAE. The first Eurofighter deal was worth £4.3 billion for the aircraft, with the contract value likely to grow to £20 billion once support and maintenance are included. The new deal will be of a similar size.
Saudi Arabia buys arms from Britain under government-to-government deals, the largest of which, Al-Yamamah, was negotiated with the help of Margaret Thatcher. BAE has acted as the main contractor, providing, first, Tornado aircraft and then billions of pounds worth of support, training and other military equipment.
The Serious Fraud Office probe, which was shut down in December 2006, related to the Al-Yamamah agreement. It investigated whether BAE offered sweeteners to officials from Saudi Arabia in return for lucrative contracts. BAE has always denied any wrongdoing, and recently adopted the recommendations of an independent inquiry into its ethical standards by Lord Woolf, the former Lord chief justice.
BAE said yesterday the Ministry of Defence would take the lead in negotiating any follow-on Eurofighter contract, though a spokesman for the MoD said it was “not aware of any requirement from Saudi Arabia of that nature”.
However, it is understood that senior staff from the department recently visited Saudi Arabia to discuss the deal.
The export of more Eurofighters could help to ease the MoD’s budget problems. The department is scheduled to take delivery of another 88 Typhoons under the “Tranche 3” contract with the four-nation consortium that makes the aircraft.
Budget constraints mean the MoD is eager not to buy the aircraft, but the financial penalties for not doing so are prohibitive. If some of the Tranche 3 aircraft were diverted to Saudi Arabia, it could get the MoD off the hook.
BAE is keen to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia. It is close to a deal with a local company to build a factory that will assemble some of the Eurofighters already ordered.
Defence ministers from the four partner nations – Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain – have recently held talks in an attempt to resolve the impasse over Tranche 3. Construction of this batch of aircraft, which will be more capable than the current Typhoon, is set to start in 2012.
Mike Turner, BAE’s outgoing chief executive, told The Sunday Times in an interview this year that Saudi Arabia should become an important market for the company.
“If defence spending in America should ever turn down, and there is absolutely no sign of that happening, then Saudi is a huge opportunity,” he said in February.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/busi...icle4493237.ece
Contract for more warplanes to follow Lords’ support for closure of bribery inquiry
BAE Systems is in talks to sell dozens more Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia in a deal that will reawaken bribery allegations made over earlier arms sales to the Gulf kingdom.
Senior defence-industry sources said last week the negotiations, which have been under way for some months, have been given added impetus by a controversial House of Lords decision last month.
The Lords said the Serious Fraud Office had been right to suspend a probe into alleged bribery, reversing an earlier Court of Appeal decision.
BAE, Britain’s largest defence contractor, may provide as many as 70 extra combat aircraft to the Saudis, although some defence industry executives say the contract is likely to be for 48.
Related Links
* SFO 'courageous' in dropping BAE probe
* BAE Systems appoints Ian King as new chief executive
Saudi Arabia has already bought 72 Eurofighters, the first of which are being built by BAE. The first Eurofighter deal was worth £4.3 billion for the aircraft, with the contract value likely to grow to £20 billion once support and maintenance are included. The new deal will be of a similar size.
Saudi Arabia buys arms from Britain under government-to-government deals, the largest of which, Al-Yamamah, was negotiated with the help of Margaret Thatcher. BAE has acted as the main contractor, providing, first, Tornado aircraft and then billions of pounds worth of support, training and other military equipment.
The Serious Fraud Office probe, which was shut down in December 2006, related to the Al-Yamamah agreement. It investigated whether BAE offered sweeteners to officials from Saudi Arabia in return for lucrative contracts. BAE has always denied any wrongdoing, and recently adopted the recommendations of an independent inquiry into its ethical standards by Lord Woolf, the former Lord chief justice.
BAE said yesterday the Ministry of Defence would take the lead in negotiating any follow-on Eurofighter contract, though a spokesman for the MoD said it was “not aware of any requirement from Saudi Arabia of that nature”.
However, it is understood that senior staff from the department recently visited Saudi Arabia to discuss the deal.
The export of more Eurofighters could help to ease the MoD’s budget problems. The department is scheduled to take delivery of another 88 Typhoons under the “Tranche 3” contract with the four-nation consortium that makes the aircraft.
Budget constraints mean the MoD is eager not to buy the aircraft, but the financial penalties for not doing so are prohibitive. If some of the Tranche 3 aircraft were diverted to Saudi Arabia, it could get the MoD off the hook.
BAE is keen to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia. It is close to a deal with a local company to build a factory that will assemble some of the Eurofighters already ordered.
Defence ministers from the four partner nations – Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain – have recently held talks in an attempt to resolve the impasse over Tranche 3. Construction of this batch of aircraft, which will be more capable than the current Typhoon, is set to start in 2012.
Mike Turner, BAE’s outgoing chief executive, told The Sunday Times in an interview this year that Saudi Arabia should become an important market for the company.
“If defence spending in America should ever turn down, and there is absolutely no sign of that happening, then Saudi is a huge opportunity,” he said in February.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/busi...icle4493237.ece
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