Saudi gets huge arms deal from China worth $4 billion
During the Zhuhai Airshow, Saudi Arabia and China signed military contracts totaling more than USD 4 billion, including cutting-edge Chinese weaponry, Chinese media reported
Only 30 to 40 billion US dollars worth of transactions were made throughout the whole Zhuhai Airshow, including about 10 billion US dollars for the C919 aircraft.
In other words, Saudi Arabia provided more than 10% of the turnover during the airshow.
What advanced Chinese weapons is Saudi Arabia buying for more than $4 billion?
The weapons included in this large order include:
• 300 Rainbow 4B drones.
• A small number of TB001 drones and production lines worth about 200 million US dollars.
• 15 Eagle 21E ballistic missiles.
• Multiple sets of “Silent Hunter” laser air defense weapons worth $1.3 billion.
Rainbow 4B
Rainbow 4B is an improved model of the Rainbow 4 drone in the Rainbow series, and its overall performance is not advanced. Accordingly, these drones are ideally suited to the needs of Saudi Arabian users.
This type of aircraft is not very advanced, but it is cheap and has a large size. Once an order for 300 aircraft is signed, China can complete the delivery task within a year or two.
300 Rainbow 4B is a pretty large order. The US Air Force operates fewer than 200 drones in active service.
TB001
Another drone purchased by Saudi Arabia, the TB001, is known as the “twin-tailed scorpion.”
This drone was equipped by the People’s Liberation Army and has been used in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and South China Sea to perform daily patrol duties.
