Saudi, UK sign new defence deal

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman and his British counterpart, Ben Wallace, yesterday signed a “declaration of intent regarding the participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Future Air Capabilities Program (FCAS).”

This was after a meeting between the two officials, during a visit that Wallace started to Riyadh, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

The Saudi and British defence ministers discussed “bilateral cooperation in the military and defence field, and ways to enhance and develop it,” according to the same source, as well as “a number of issues of common interest, developments in the regional and international arenas, and the efforts made in their regard.”

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According to the agency, the programme includes “defining a comprehensive and joint vision for the future partnership for air combat operations and discussing partnerships that meet the needs of the required capabilities.”

The signing of the declaration comes after the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced the arrival of six Typhoon aircraft belonging to the kingdom at Waddington air base in Britain, to participate in the Cobra Warrior 2023 exercise.

وصلت قاعدة وادنغتون الجوية في المملكة المتحدة..#القوات_الجوية تشارك في تمرين «محارب الكوبرا 2023» بـ 6 طائرات من طراز «التايفون» إلى جانب قوات 6 دول صديقة. pic.twitter.com/CYNfZqrmbL

— وزارة الدفاع (@modgovksa) March 1, 2023

The Saudi Air Force will participate in the exercise along with six other countries, according to the same source, who did not announce more details about the start date of the exercise nor which countries are taking part.