The premier fighters in the Royal Saudi Air Force, RSAF, are advanced American F-15SA (Saudi Advanced) and Eurofighter Typhoons from the United Kingdom, along with a fleet of aging British Panavia Tornados.
Sources of La Tribune Dimanche has confirmed that Riyadh has officially asked Dassault Aviation to send it a costed proposal for the acquisition of 54 Rafale jets. The French aircraft manufacturer has until November 10 to respond,
Faced with Berlin's veto of an order for 48 Eurofighter Typhoons, Saudi Arabia, which is a traditional buyer of United States (Boeing's F-15) and Great Britain (Tornado and then Eurofighter, two combat aircraft designed as part of European cooperation with Germany, Italy and Spain) , has asked Dassault for this Quote.
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia has not been successful to confirm the desired Eurofighter Typhoon fleet for its Airforce due to the interference of Germany, a participating nation in the aircraft program.
However, analysts believe that this ban could prove to be counterproductive for Berlin due to the developing “sell” of the competing Rafale jets to Saudi Arabia. If this new development takes a shape, the future of the Eurofighter Typhoon program will take a hit.
La Tribune reported ,
"A success for Dassault Aviation in Saudi Arabia would be resounding for the Rafale: the French fighter jet would pull off a colossal blow under the nose of its European rival, the Typhoon of the Eurofighter consortium (composed of the British BAE Systems, Airbus and the Italian Leonardo), considered the second source of supply for the Royal Saudi Air Force, after the American F-15."
Within last couple of years, Dassault Aviation , along with current Riyadh's call , has seen an increasing appeal for the Rafales in the Middle East and surrounding regions, that includes Egypt in 2015 and 2021 (54 aircraft), Qatar in 2015 and 2017 (36), then in the United Arab Emirates (80 ordered in December 2021).
These acquisitions are posing a direct challenge to the Eurofighter Typhoon, a product of a collective of European companies, including BAE Systems, Airbus, and Italy’s Leonardo.
As per the current delivery schedules, the German production of the Eurofighter is expected to reach completion in 2030 with the delivery of the final Tranche 4 aircraft (Quadriga contract, 38 fighters) to the Luftwaffe.
For Saudi Arabia, the RSAF’s fighter fleet largely comprises over 200 US-made F-15C/D/SA Eagle fighters. The first F-15 delivered to Saudi Arabia took flight in 1978, which was only two years after its formal induction by the United States Air Force.
In Rafale, Saudis will get a fighter jet with a maximum takeoff weight of around 24,500 kilograms and a length of approximately 15.3 meters.The aircraft has a wingspan of about 10.9 meters and a height of around 5.3 meters.
The aircraft is powered by two Snecma M88-2 engines, which provide a combined thrust of around 150 kilonewtons , with an operational range of up to 3,700 kilometers without a need of aerial refueling.
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