nastyleg
11-22-2009, 11:45 PM
Gulf arms race triggered by Iranian aggression
Tensions over Iran's nuclear programme have spurred an arms race in the Gulf with record defence deals being negotiated.
By Richard Spencer in Dubai
Published: 6:04PM GMT 22 Nov 2009
Saudi Arabia, long the major arms-buyer in the region, is now being overtaken by relative minnows such as the United Arab Emirates as they share their neighbour's fear of the growing military strength of their Shia neighbour.
Iran yesterday began a week-long military exercise to test its readiness against missile attack. The exercise was overtly intended as a message to Israel that any attack on its nuclear programme would be met with strong resistance.
"If the enemy wants to test its bad luck and fire a missile into Iran, before the dust settles, Iran's ballistic missiles will target the heart of Tel Aviv," Mojtaba Zolnour, an aide to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said.
But Gulf states believe Iran's main strategic aim is to become the dominant power in the oil-rich region. As the West shows itself unable to prevent Iran developing its nuclear programme, they are determined to arm themselves.
The refusal by Iran to agree a deal to send most of its enriched uranium abroad would only spur arms sales further, said Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.
"The threat perception is definitely about Iran," he said.
Arms companies were in buoyant mood at last week's Dubai air show particularly in comparison to the civilian air industry, which is suffering from a credit crunch-induced slump in passenger numbers.
BAE Systems, Britain's biggest arms manufacturer, is currently delivering to Saudi Arabia an order for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which it makes as part of a European consortium.
Defence spending in the kingdom is projected to rise from $43.52 billion this year (pounds 26.17 billion) to $47.4 billion (pounds 28.5billion) in 2010.
But other Gulf states are catching up.
Eurofighter's chief executive, Enzo Casolini, told the show he thought the Middle East would buy half the 300 Eurofighters he has set as his target sales figure by 2020.
The United Arab Emirates is now the third largest arms importer in the world, after China and India, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
It confirmed it was in the final stages of negotiating a deal with France to replace 63 Mirage jets with Dassault Rafale fighters. It also agreed to buy two reconnaissance aircraft from the Swedish company Saab, whose biggest stake is held by BAE Systems, as well as 25 Swiss trainer aircraft.
It has also applied to the United States to buy a $7 billion Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system.
Martin Bennett, BAE Systems' Middle East vice-president, said clients in the Gulf had "wobbled" as the oil price sank at the end of last year.
"When it went down to 40 dollars a barrel you heard some leaders say, let's hold on, push out orders to 2012," he said. "Then it went back up to 70 or 80 and now it's all coming forward again."
His American rival, Lockheed Martin, showed off its new F22 fighter, even though it is not licensed for sale outside the United States.
Analysts suggested the United States Air Force approved the 14-minute display, full of dramatic aerial stunts, to make a point about American military strength to Iran, just 100 miles across the Gulf.
George Standridge, vice president for business development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said he could not comment on the politics of arms deals, but said American allies in the region needed to be confident of their defence abilities.
He added: "This is a prosperous region. What does it require to be prosperous? It requires stability."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/unitedarabemirates/6630729/Gulf-arms-race-triggered-by-Iranian-aggression.html
Tensions over Iran's nuclear programme have spurred an arms race in the Gulf with record defence deals being negotiated.
By Richard Spencer in Dubai
Published: 6:04PM GMT 22 Nov 2009
Saudi Arabia, long the major arms-buyer in the region, is now being overtaken by relative minnows such as the United Arab Emirates as they share their neighbour's fear of the growing military strength of their Shia neighbour.
Iran yesterday began a week-long military exercise to test its readiness against missile attack. The exercise was overtly intended as a message to Israel that any attack on its nuclear programme would be met with strong resistance.
"If the enemy wants to test its bad luck and fire a missile into Iran, before the dust settles, Iran's ballistic missiles will target the heart of Tel Aviv," Mojtaba Zolnour, an aide to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said.
But Gulf states believe Iran's main strategic aim is to become the dominant power in the oil-rich region. As the West shows itself unable to prevent Iran developing its nuclear programme, they are determined to arm themselves.
The refusal by Iran to agree a deal to send most of its enriched uranium abroad would only spur arms sales further, said Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.
"The threat perception is definitely about Iran," he said.
Arms companies were in buoyant mood at last week's Dubai air show particularly in comparison to the civilian air industry, which is suffering from a credit crunch-induced slump in passenger numbers.
BAE Systems, Britain's biggest arms manufacturer, is currently delivering to Saudi Arabia an order for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which it makes as part of a European consortium.
Defence spending in the kingdom is projected to rise from $43.52 billion this year (pounds 26.17 billion) to $47.4 billion (pounds 28.5billion) in 2010.
But other Gulf states are catching up.
Eurofighter's chief executive, Enzo Casolini, told the show he thought the Middle East would buy half the 300 Eurofighters he has set as his target sales figure by 2020.
The United Arab Emirates is now the third largest arms importer in the world, after China and India, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
It confirmed it was in the final stages of negotiating a deal with France to replace 63 Mirage jets with Dassault Rafale fighters. It also agreed to buy two reconnaissance aircraft from the Swedish company Saab, whose biggest stake is held by BAE Systems, as well as 25 Swiss trainer aircraft.
It has also applied to the United States to buy a $7 billion Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system.
Martin Bennett, BAE Systems' Middle East vice-president, said clients in the Gulf had "wobbled" as the oil price sank at the end of last year.
"When it went down to 40 dollars a barrel you heard some leaders say, let's hold on, push out orders to 2012," he said. "Then it went back up to 70 or 80 and now it's all coming forward again."
His American rival, Lockheed Martin, showed off its new F22 fighter, even though it is not licensed for sale outside the United States.
Analysts suggested the United States Air Force approved the 14-minute display, full of dramatic aerial stunts, to make a point about American military strength to Iran, just 100 miles across the Gulf.
George Standridge, vice president for business development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said he could not comment on the politics of arms deals, but said American allies in the region needed to be confident of their defence abilities.
He added: "This is a prosperous region. What does it require to be prosperous? It requires stability."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/unitedarabemirates/6630729/Gulf-arms-race-triggered-by-Iranian-aggression.html