Page 11 - ADT FEBRUARY - MARCH 2021 Online Magazine

increased substantially in recent years, the
U.S. still accounts for 51.7 percent of the weap-
ons that the country has imported in the last
two decades. Russia is in second place with [ REPORT ]
a 26.3 percent share. The U.S. supplied 81.8
percent of the weapons that Israel imported
during the same period, with Germany and
Italy in second and third place with 15.3 per-
cent and 2.6 percent respectively. The U.S. is
the primary supplier of weapons to Qatar as
well, accounting for 52.9 percent of the arms
that the country imported from 2000 to 2019.
France, with 30.7 percent, and Germany with
7.7 percent were the other main suppliers.
Major Players in the Region
In November last year, Boeing was awarded
a US$9.8 billion contract to modernize Saudi
ing weapons to the country. The UAE was the eighth-largest arms Arabia’s F-15 fighter jet fleet. The contract also
importer in the world in 2015–19, with two-thirds of its arms imports includes installation of future modifications
in the period coming from the U.S., a country that has sold 55.7 per- and enhancements to the F-15 Saudi weapon
cent of the weapons that UAE imported in the 2000-2019 period. system as well as product support; work is
Another country in the region that invested heavily in weapons expected to be completed by November 2025.
during the last ten years was Egypt, which rose to become the Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest operators
world’s third-largest arms importer. The country’s arms imports of F-15 jets outside the U.S. The upgrades will
tripled between 2010–14 and 2015–19. From 2010 to 2014, 47 per- bring the Saudi F-15s on par with the F-15QT
cent of Egyptian arms acquisitions came from the United States, ordered by Qatar.
but that figure nosedived to 15 percent from 2015 to 2019. France
(35 percent) and Russia (34 percent) stepped in to fill the gap Boeing isn’t the only U.S. defence giant to
during this period. benefit from the country’s growing investment
in weapons. In July 2019, Lockheed Martin
Other militaries in the region are also adding to their stockpile of received a US$1.48 billion contract to build
U.S.-made weapons. In December last year, The State Department the THAAD missile defense system for Saudi
approved the potential sale of Apache helicopters and spare parts Arabia. The company had earlier been awarded
for the Patriot missile system to Kuwait. The two separate deals, a US$2.4 billion contract for THAAD intercep-
which will benefit Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Electric and tor missiles. While Lockheed Martin builds and
Raytheon, are worth US$4.2 billion. Kuwait is eyeing the purchase of integrates the THAAD system that is designed
eight AH-64E Apache Longbow Attack Helicopters and also wants to shoot down short-, medium- and intermedi-
to upgrade 16 of its AH-64D Apache Longbow Attack Helicopters ate-range ballistic missiles, Raytheon builds
to the AH-64E configuration. its advanced radar. In 2018, Saudi Arabia had
signed a US$15 billion deal with the U.S. for 44
Although Iraq’s arms import from Russia and South Korea have THAAD missile systems.

Lockheed Martin has also bagged a US$1.96
billion contract to build four multi-mission sur-
face combatants (MMSC) for Saudi Arabia. The
delivery of the MMSC is scheduled to begin in
June 2023. The sale of F-35s looks unlikely
to go through, but the defence contractor will
continue to play a major player in the region.
Raytheon also has deep roots in the Middle
East and has a long-standing relationship with
Israel’s Rafael to develop and manufacture the
Iron Dome missile defense system. In August
last year, the two expanded their partnership
beyond the region by forming a joint venture to
build the missile defense system in the United
States. Raytheon Rafael Area Protection
Systems will build Iron Dome systems, the

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