Saudi Arabia’s air force has signed a deal to upgrade its fleet of 150 strike aircraft and procure advanced weaponry.
The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) upgrades include components to extend the life of the fighter bombers and highly-accurate target acquisition pods.
The Goodrich Corporation has been selected to upgrade Saudi Arabia’s fleet of 150 F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft with grid-lock flight controls.
The retrofit of the aircraft ailerons, flaps, rudders and wing tips will bring them up to par with US Air Force F-15s, the company said.
“The RSAF recognized the improved lifecycle costs that the USAF is realizing on its flight control surfaces as a result of this innovative technology,” Marc Duvall, president of Goodrich Aerostructures, said in a statement.
The London-based Jane’s Defence Weekly reported that the deal was worth some $50 million.
The announcement comes a few weeks after Saudi Arabia’s air force signed a deal with Lockheed Martin to provide Sniper advanced targeting pods (ATP) for its F-15s.
The pods will enable the pilot to detect and fire laser-guided weapons at a variety of targets on the ground, a statement said.
“We are now looking forward to deliver additional pods to support their urgent operational requirement for Sniper ATP capability,” said John Rogers, Saudi Sniper ATP program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, according to a Lockheed Martin news report.