When carried by Tornados, the Storm Shadows put all of Israel at risk. It's time for Israel to upgrade their defenses against stealthy cruise missiles.
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THE SECRET IS OUT
4/10/07
Defense News.com
Saudi Arabia, which demands that its negotiations with the British and others on weapon deals take place well away from the glare of publicity, saw its strategy of secrecy become unstuck recently. Thanks to the vigilance of an aircraft spotter, it became apparent the British were closing on a deal to equip the Royal Saudi Air Force with the potent Storm Shadow cruise missile. A spotter snapped a picture of a Saudi Tornado taking off from BAE Systems Warton site equipped with two of the MBDA-built missiles strapped under the fuselage. One of the cruise missiles had markings that suggested the weapon was to be used for a test firing. That put evidence to the speculation fueled in February when Marwan Lahoud, the boss of European missile-maker MBDA, told reporters the company expected to secure a 1.5 billion euro ($2 billion) deal this year with the Saudis to upgrade Tornado weapons. Lahoud mentioned no particular weapons. But industry sources said the package could include Storm Shadow, the Brimstone anti-tank missile and possibly the ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile. The Ministry of Defence said the Saudi aircraft were conducting flight trials with a wide range of external stores, including Storm Shadow. Neither BAE, which is leading the Tornado upgrade and weapon package negotiations, nor MBDA would comment, saying the Saudis barred them from doing so. The Saudis are also interested in the new generation of precision-guided bombs being developed by Raytheon for the Royal Air Force, industry sources said.
-----------------------------------
THE SECRET IS OUT
4/10/07
Defense News.com
Saudi Arabia, which demands that its negotiations with the British and others on weapon deals take place well away from the glare of publicity, saw its strategy of secrecy become unstuck recently. Thanks to the vigilance of an aircraft spotter, it became apparent the British were closing on a deal to equip the Royal Saudi Air Force with the potent Storm Shadow cruise missile. A spotter snapped a picture of a Saudi Tornado taking off from BAE Systems Warton site equipped with two of the MBDA-built missiles strapped under the fuselage. One of the cruise missiles had markings that suggested the weapon was to be used for a test firing. That put evidence to the speculation fueled in February when Marwan Lahoud, the boss of European missile-maker MBDA, told reporters the company expected to secure a 1.5 billion euro ($2 billion) deal this year with the Saudis to upgrade Tornado weapons. Lahoud mentioned no particular weapons. But industry sources said the package could include Storm Shadow, the Brimstone anti-tank missile and possibly the ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile. The Ministry of Defence said the Saudi aircraft were conducting flight trials with a wide range of external stores, including Storm Shadow. Neither BAE, which is leading the Tornado upgrade and weapon package negotiations, nor MBDA would comment, saying the Saudis barred them from doing so. The Saudis are also interested in the new generation of precision-guided bombs being developed by Raytheon for the Royal Air Force, industry sources said.
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"The Americans will always do the right thing... After they've exhausted all the alternatives."
- Winston Churchill
"The Americans will always do the right thing... After they've exhausted all the alternatives."
- Winston Churchill
