The joke of Saudi Arabia buying Dongfeng 3

It is said that Saudi Arabia has bought weapons from China many times, which is enlightened.

The biggest surprise of Zhuhai Air Show in 2022 was probably the appearance of domestic Eagle Strike -2 1E, and then the rumors that Saudi Arabia spent huge sums of money to buy Eagle Strike -2 1E made the outside world suddenly realize. More importantly, news about Saudi Arabia's intention to buy weapons from China has come and gone, from brigade-class equipment of the army to 052D, the main force of the 7000-ton navy, and even.

Saudi Arabia's purchase of Dongfeng -3 in the 1980s has been talked about by the outside world, and this high-value and confirmed transaction is indeed full of legend. However, for a long time, there was not much cooperation between the two sides in the military field. At that time, the export performance of China's weapons industry was poor, and it even relied heavily on Russian-made weapons. Naturally, it was difficult for the high-standard Saudi army to take a fancy to it.

On the other hand, the United States took advantage of the Gulf War to win a great victory, and started wars in the Middle East one after another, and its deterrence to the surrounding areas reached an unprecedented height. Therefore, for more than 20 years, the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China in the military field has mainly focused on the follow-up maintenance and spare parts supply of Dongfeng -3. With the great development of AVIC after 20 10, military unmanned aerial vehicles also showed obvious potential, and the two sides began a new contact stage.

Military drones were developed in the 1980s, but the cost-effectiveness ratio was not good at that time, and only the United States and the Soviet Union were equipped with some. After Wei entered the 2 1 century, thanks to the progress of airborne precision guided bombs, satellite navigation/positioning systems and remote control systems, UAVs officially entered the war stage. Because the requirements of UAV for materials and power devices are relatively low, the technical difficulties are mainly in software and electronic components, which just fits the technical characteristics of AVIC. Therefore, it quickly spread in China, and the classic patrol represented by "Golden Wings" gave birth to "Rainbow Integrated UAV".

Compared with the high-level strategic reconnaissance "Pterosaur" high-altitude surveillance drone developed by the United States at that time, "Rainbow" was more balanced and the price was more reasonable, which was more in line with the needs of ordinary countries, so it quickly got orders from many countries, including Saudi Arabia.

At present, the number of military drones purchased by Saudi Arabia from China is difficult to verify, and it can only be said that it is about 500 (the value should be about $2 billion). Saudi Arabia not only armed its own army with purchased drones, but also gave Libyan tribes support. 20 19 staged a classic scene of "Rainbow -4" against Turkish TB-2. A good start, the rapid progress of China's weapons industry and the gradual withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan will naturally further promote the cooperation between the two sides.

In the spring of 2022, Saudi Arabia publicly stated to the outside world that the "Silent Hunter" laser air defense system purchased from China successfully achieved its first actual combat success, which is also the first laser weapon in the world to achieve actual combat success. Because there is not much information released by Saudi Arabia, it is difficult for the outside world to draw a detailed conclusion, but one thing is certain: China weapons are no longer the representative of low price and low performance in the traditional impression, but the first-class equipment that can serve as the main force and even cause the trend.

The military cooperation between the two countries has been further deepened under the superposition of good practical experience and novel technology. At the Zhuhai Air Show in 2022, it was rumored that Saudi Arabia purchased nearly $4 billion of China's various equipment, mainly including: expanding the model and scale of UAV procurement, greatly increasing the "Silent Hunter" laser air defense system and dazzling Eagle Strike -2 1E (also the most expensive).

Of the three, the first two belong to the further deepening of existing projects, so there is nothing to say. Eagle Strike -2 1E seems to be an anti-ship weapon, but it can actually be regarded as a modern evolution version of Dongfeng -3. After all, its predecessor was land-based Dongfeng -2 1 ballistic missile.

The domestic export of this short-lived core weapon is not only because Saudi Arabia has paid a high price, but also because the latter urgently needs this new strategic weapon to maintain deterrence. [To a great extent, it is to maintain the relationship between the two sides that this weapon will be quickly put on the export booth in China. No other international buyers are expected in the short term.

Therefore, although the order from Saudi Arabia at Zhuhai Air Show last year was expensive and high-tech, it did not go beyond the scope of cooperation between the two parties. The equipment application field was relatively independent and did not involve large-scale replacement of other equipment.

Having made this clear, we can judge the recent rumors that Saudi Arabia bought weapons from China. First of all, air marshal 200 is impossible. This early warning aircraft has no communication channel with Saudi active aircraft. Even if Saudi Arabia intends to buy a batch of "Xiaolong" for special purposes, Air Police -500 or even ZDK-03 is a better choice.

The possibility of 052D and army brigade-level equipment is slightly higher than that of kj-200, but it is still very slim. Saudi Arabia has never intended to vigorously develop its navy. 12 or six 052D ships will completely change the regional naval power comparison, which is intolerable and completely impossible for the US Navy. Experience 1 or two ships as the flagship is the limit. The situation of army brigade-level equipment is similar to that of 052D, and the difference is not bad.

Land-based advanced anti-stealth radar is the most likely to be realized among many rumors, mainly because the US military can't provide similar equipment (China is currently the world's first in this field). Moreover, because Saudi Arabia's goal in this regard is only a small number of radars and auxiliary devices that can be completely independent, a small number of stealth fighters in specific areas can be monitored. This kind of purely defensive equipment is not easy to cause regional opposition and arms race, and it does have some hope to be realized, and once it is realized, it will be a big bill of one billion dollars.

From the historical experience, it is only a matter of time before China's weapons become the main force in the Saudi army as long as the scope of cooperation between the two sides in the military field is enlarged and China's influence is constantly enhanced. This is an objective law that is not personal. By then, China will be the core force to ensure world peace, which will become a very attractive statement.