The Royal Saudi Air Force ( ar, ‎الْقُوَّاتُ الْجَوِّيَّةُ الْمَلَكِيَّةْ ٱلسُّعُوْدِيَّة, Al-Quwwat Al-Jawiyah Al-Malakiyah as-Su’udiyah) (RSAF) is the aviation branch of the

Saudi Arabian Armed Forces Royal Saudi Land Forces ( ar, القُوَّاتُ البَرِّيَّةُ المَلَكِيَّة السُّعُودِيَّة, Al-Quwwat al-Bariyah al-Malakiyah as-Su'udiyah) is the land warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arab ...

. The Royal Saudi Air Force currently has approximately 1,106 aircraft, 40,000 active personnel, 23,000 recruits, 9 wings, +99 squadrons, and a Special Forces unit dedicated to

combat search and rescue Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones. A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, aerial refuelin ...

. The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability, and maintains the third largest fleet of

F-15s The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without relyin ...

after the U.S. and Japanese air forces. The backbone of the RSAF is currently the Boeing F-15 Eagle, with the Panavia Tornado also forming a major component. The Tornado and many other aircraft were delivered under the Al Yamamah contracts with British Aerospace (now

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

). The RSAF ordered various weapons in the 1990s, including Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles, laser-guided bombs and gravity bombs. Al-Salam, a successor to the Al Yamamah agreement will see 48 Eurofighter Typhoons delivered by BAE.

History

The RSAF was formed in the mid-1920s with British assistance from the remains of the

Hejaz Air Force The Hejaz Air Force ( ar, links=yes, القوات الجوية الحجازية) or Hejaz Flying Corps ( ar, links=yes, فيلق الطائر الحجازي) was the aerial component of the armed forces of the short-lived Kingdom of Hejaz and it ...

. It was initially equipped with Westland Wapiti IIA general purpose aircraft flown by pilots who had served Ali of Hejaz but had been pardoned by the Saudi king. It was re-organized in 1950 and began to receive American assistance from 1952 including the use of Dhahran Airfield by the United States Air Force. Early aircraft used by the RSAF included the

Caproni Ca.100 The Caproni Ca.100 was the standard Trainer (aircraft), trainer aircraft of the ''Regia Aeronautica'' in the 1930s. Large numbers of this tandem, two-seat, biplane were built, powered by different engines. Design and development The Ca.100 (ni ...

, Albatros D.III,

Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 The Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 was a British two-seat general-purpose biplane built by Armstrong Whitworth during the First World War. The type served alongside the better known R.E.8 until the end of the war, at which point 694 F.K.8s remained ...

Farman MF.11 The Maurice Farman MF.11 ''Shorthorn'' is a French aircraft developed before World War I by the Farman Aviation Works. It was used as a reconnaissance and light bomber during the early part of World War I, later being relegated to training duti ...

Airco DH.9 The Airco DH.9 (from de Havilland 9) – also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 – was a British single-engined biplane bomber developed and deployed during the First World War. The DH.9 was a development of Airco's earlier successful ...

, dH 82 Tiger Moth, Westland Wapiti, Avro Anson, Douglas C-47, and the B-26 Invader. As part of the ''Magic Carpet'' arms deal between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four single-seat

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...

F.6s and two Hunter T.7s were ordered from Hawker in 1966. The aircraft were delivered to No. 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt Airbase in May 1966. Although the Hunters were operational following attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian Air Force they were not a success as interceptors as they lacked any ground control but were used for ground attack. One single-seat aircraft was lost in 1967 and the remaining aircraft were presented to Jordan in 1968. The Saudi forces are equipped with mainly western equipment. Main suppliers to the RSAF are companies based in the United Kingdom and the United States. Both the UK and the US are involved in training programs conducted in Saudi Arabia. During the 1980s and 1990s, by Middle Eastern standards the armed forces of Saudi Arabia were relatively small. Its strength however was derived from advanced technology. The backbone of the strike / ground attack force is formed by ca 70 Tornados (a second batch of 48 Tornado IDS were ordered in 1993 under the al-Yamamah II program), and 72 F-15S aircraft delivered from the mid-1990s that operate beside the remnants of more than 120 F-15C/D aircraft delivered starting in 1981. Pilot training is executed on the Pilatus PC-21 and BAe Hawk. The C-130 Hercules is the mainstay of the transport fleet and the Hercules is assisted by CN-235s and

Raytheon King Air 350 The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. ...

light transports. Reconnaissance is performed by Tornadoes and F-15s equipped with the DJRP electro-optical reconnaissance pod. The Boeing E-3A is the Airborne Early Warning platform operated by No. 18 Squadron RSAF. The VIP support fleet consists of a wide variety of civil registered aircraft such as the Airbus A330, Airbus A320,

737 737 most commonly refers to: * Boeing 737, an American narrow-body passenger airplane ** Boeing 737 Classic ** Boeing 737 MAX ** Boeing 737 Next Generation * AD 737, a year in the common era * 737 BC, a year * 737 (number), a number 737 may als ...

and

747 747 may refer to: * 747 (number), a number * AD 747, a year of the Julian calendar * 747 BC, a year in the 8th century BC * Boeing 747, a large commercial jet airliner Music and film * 747s (band), an indie band * ''747'' (album), by country musi ...

, Lockheed Tri-Stars, MD11s and G1159A as well as Lockheed L-100-30. The HZ- prefix used in the civilian registrations of these aircraft derived from the former name of the territory (

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...

). From 1989 to 1991 three Lockheed C-130 Hercules of the RSAF were destroyed in accidents.

Purchases during the 2000s

The Al Yamamah contract was controversial because of the alleged bribes associated with its award. Nonetheless, the RSAF announced its intention to purchase the Typhoon from

in December 2005. On 18 August 2006, a memorandum of understanding was signed for 72 aircraft in a GB£6–10 billion deal. Following this order, the investigation of the Al Yamamah contract was suppressed by the British prime minister Tony Blair in December 2006, citing "strategic interests" of the UK. On 17 September 2007 Saudi Arabia announced it had signed a £4.4bn deal with BAE Systems for 72 Typhoons. On 29 December 2011, the United States signed a $29.4 billion deal to sell 84 F-15s in the SA (Saudi Advanced) configuration. The sale includes upgrades for the older F-15s up to the SA standard and related equipment and services. On 23 May 2012, the British defence firm BAE Systems agreed to sell 22 BAE Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force for a total of £1.9 billion ($3 billion). The deal also included simulators, ground and training equipment and spares. In April 2013, BAE Systems delivered the first two new Typhoons of 24 to Saudi Arabia. In 2013, the USAF tendered an offer for security services to protect the Saudi air force from cyberwarfare attacks. In March 2021, RSAF started a joint military exercise, that will last until April 10, with the US and Pakistani Air Forces that will help in exchanging experiences and expertise.

Structure

The RSAF is divided into nine Wings that are dispersed across seven Air Bases: * RSAF Wing 1 at King Khalid Air Base, Khamis Mushait * RSAF Wing 2 at King Fahad Air Base, Taif. Listed by scramble.nl in mid-2020 as including Nos 3, 5, No. 10, 14, 34, and 80 Squadrons; plus an AB212 detachment of 12 Squadron. * RSAF Wing 3 at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran * RSAF Wing 4 at

King Saud Air Base King Saud Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة الملك سعود الجوية) (IATA: KMC ICAO: OEKK) is a military air base located in Hafr Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia. The Air Base is located approximately 60 km north of King Khalid Military City. ...

, King Khalid Military City * RSAF Wing 5 at King Khalid Air Base, Khamis Mushait. Listed by scramble.nl in mid-2020 as including Nos 6, 99, 202, and 203 Squadrons; plus 55 Squadron, the F-15 FTU, and a detachment of 14 Squadron.Scramble: Saudi Arabia
accessed August 2020. * RSAF Wing 6 at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj * RSAF Wing 7 at

King Faisal Air Base Tabuk Regional (Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz ) Airport ( ar, مطار الأمير سلطان بن عبد العزيز) is an international and public airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. It was a former military airport until its renovation to beco ...

, Tabuk. Listed by scramble.nl in mid-2020 as including Nos 2, 21, 29, 37, 79 Squadrons; plus 88 Squadron, the "Saudi Falcons" aerobatic team. * RSAF Wing 8 at King Abdullah Air Base,

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

* RSAF Wing 11 at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran

Squadrons

English Electric Lightning T55 (5761848221)

* 1 Squadron (Royal Flight/BBJ&HS125) * 2 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D) - previously English Electric Lightning at Tabuk, up until at least 1985.Orbis, "Warplane" partwork, Issue 20 (1985), p388. * 3 Squadron (Eurofighter Typhoon) * 4 Squadron (C-130) * 5 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D) * 6 Squadron (F-15SA) * 7 Squadron (Tornado IDS) * 8 Squadron (Cirrus SR22) * 9 Squadron (PC-21) * 10 Squadron (Eurofighter Typhoon) * 11 Squadron (Royal Flight/G-IV&CE550) * 12 Squadron (Bell 212) * 13 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D) - previously English Electric Lightning. * 14 Squadron (Helicopters) * 15 Squadron (OUT SERVICE) * 16 Squadron (C-130) * 18 Squadron (E-3) * 19 Squadron (RE-3A) * 21 Squadron (BAE Hawk) * 22 Squadron (PC-21) * 23 Squadron (KE-3) * 24 Squadron (A330 MRTT) * 25 Squadron (Bell 412) * 29 Squadron (Tornado ADV to be replaced with the F-15SA) * 30 Squadron (Helicopters) * 32 Squadron (KC-130H And KC-130J) * 33 Squadron (Royal Medical Flight) * 34 Squadron (F-15C And F-15D) * 35 Squadron (Jetstream) * 37 Squadron (BAE HAWK) * 42 Squadron (F-15C AND F-15D) * 44 Squadron (Bell 412) * 55 Squadron (F-15SA) * 66 Squadron (Tornado IDS) * 75 Squadron (Tornado IDS) * 79 Squadron (BAE Hawk) * 80 Squadron (Eurofighter Typhoon) * 83 Squadron (Tornado IDS) * 88 Squadron (Hawk) * 92 Squadron (F-15S) * 99 Squadron (Cougar)

Equipment

RSF484 departing East Midlands Airport (altered)

Aircraft

Retired

Previous aircraft flown by the Royal Saudi Air Force included the

F-86F Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

, dH 100 Vampire FB.52, BAC Strikemaster Mk 80, DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk 10, C-54A Skymaster, C-123B Provider, T-6A Texan,

T-33A Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, Lockheed P-80/F-80 ...

, Cessna 310, O-1 Bird Dog, T-35A Buckaroo, T-34A Mentor, OH-58A Kiowa,

T-28A Trojan The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a radial-engine military trainer aircraft manufactured by North American Aviation and used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s. Besides its use as a trainer, ...

, F-5 Tiger II, Lockheed JetStar, dH Comet 4C (VIP transport), BAe 146,

Alouette III Alouette or alouettes may refer to: Music and literature * "Alouette" (song), a French-language children's song * Alouette, a character in ''The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'' Aerospace * SNCASE Alouette, a utility helicopter developed in France i ...

BAC Lightning The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It was capable of a top speed of above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufac ...

F.52, F53 and T.55

Drones

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest countries that owns unmanned aerial vehicles, whether they are attack, surveillance, or reconnaissance. In 2012, Saudi Arabia purchased 50 Italia
Selex Galileo Falco
drones. In 2014, Saudi Arabia signed a contract with China to purchas
Chengdu and Ying Loong
drones, and Saudi Arabia has still more to receive so far. In April 2013, Saudi Arabia announced its desire to buy 6 Turkis
TAI Anka
drones. Saudi Arabia has pursued projects to manufacture national drones, the first of which was in 2012, when Saudi Arabi
announced a program to manufacture drones
in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and the project was called Saqr, and +300 aircraft have been produced so far, and 3 updated copies of the plane. Saudi Arabia also announced the new drone calle
Smoom
th
Saudi crown prince and the Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah As-Sisi stood in front of it
while president Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi showed interest on it. Saudi Arabia also announced lately to start produce the high capability drone calle
SkyGuard
And it established a laboratory for robotic vehicle research at the Prince Sultan Institute for Advanced Technology Research at King Saud University. The laboratory aims to build and transfer technology in the field of smart vehicles of all kinds, such as unmanned aircraft, autonomous land vehicles, and others. The laboratory has manufactured many unmanned aircraft, and the aircraft are still under testing and development. Saudi Arabia has started technology transfer projects and joint ventures with countries to manufacture drones. The General Organization for Military Industries obtained a license to manufacture the German plane
Luna
, and Saudi Arabia has manufactured hundreds of them and serve in the Saudi armed forces. Saudi Arabia entered into a joint venture with South Africa to manufacture th
Seker 400
armed aircraft.

Commanders

The following officers have been commanders of the RSAF: #

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Abdullah al-Mandili #

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Rashid al-Saleh Rashid or Rachid ( ar, راشد ) and Rasheed ( ar, رشيد ), which means "rightly guided", may refer to: *Rashid (name), also Rachid and Rasheed, people with the given name or surname *Rached, a given name and surname *Rashad, a surname Plac ...

Gen. Ibrahim al-Tassan (1950–1966) #

Gen. Hashim bin Said Hashim (1966–1972) # Lt. Gen. Asaad al-Zuhair (1972–1980) # Lt. Gen. Mohammed Sabri Suleiman (1980–1984) # Lt. Gen. Abdullah bin AbdulAziz al-Hamdan (1984–1987) # Lt. Gen. Ahmed Ibrahim Behery (1987 – March 1996) # Lt. Gen. Abdul Aziz bin Mohammad Al-Henadi (March 1996 – 4 April 2004) # Lt. Gen. Prince Abdulrahman Al-Faisal (4 April 2004 – 16 June 2010) # Lt. Gen.

Mohammed Al-Ayesh Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...

(16 June 2010 – 10 May 2013) # Lt. Gen. Fayyadh Al Ruwaili (10 May 2013 – 14 May 2014)Mystery surrounds death of Saudi chief of staff
. Arabian Aerospace. Published 25 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2017. Saudi Lt-General Fayyadh Al-Ruwaili, new RSAF Commander
. Tactical Report. Published 13 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2017. # Lt. Gen. Muhammad Al Shaalan (14 May 2014 – 10 June 2015) #

Gen.

Mohammed al-Otaibi Mohammed Al-Otaibi (; born 11 May 1993) is a Saudi professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Ohod. Honours ; Al-Wehda * MS League: 2017–18 ;Al-Batin Bāṭin or baten ( ar, باطن) literally means "inner", "inw ...

(10 June 2015 – 26 February 2018)O'Connor, Tom (26 February 2018)
Saudi Arabia Changes Government Up, Switching Top Military Leader Amid Yemen War Struggle
. '' Newsweek''. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Saudi Major-General Al-Ghamdi, Acting RSAF Commander
. Published 24 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2017. # Lt. Gen. Turki bin Bandar (26 February 2018 – present)

References

External links

*
Order of Battle
at ''Scramble'' magazine
"The Royal Saudi Air Force – A Paper Tiger, Minus the Tiger"
{{Authority control Air force 20th century in Saudi Arabia 1920s establishments in Saudi Arabia Military units and formations established in 1916 1916 establishments in Asia Air forces by country