Dubai — States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) continue to invest heavily in building their air power at a time the region faces the risk of yet another conflict, one that would involve Iran and the West.

Multibillion-dollar procurement programs made possible by high oil prices have enabled the GCC to build modern high-tech forces capable of deterring much larger neighboring states that could pose a threat.

“Arab Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates [UAE], have the best equipped and armed air forces in the entire Middle East region, with the exception of Israel,” said Mousa Qallab, a defense analyst at the Gulf Research Center.

The UAE Air Force has multiplied its number of aircraft over the past few years, and this year it has doubled in size after receiving all of its 80 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 60 Desert Falcon jet fighters.

By 2010, the UAE Air Force would be equipped with 63 Mirage 2000-9 jets; 80 F-16 Block 60 jets; at least 36 light attack aircraft and trainers; tankers; early warning airborne platforms; UAVs; a good number of transport aircraft; and utility, medium and heavy helicopters, according to retired Maj. Gen. Khaled Al-Bu Ainain, former Air Force commander.

“The UAEAF will be a robust modern force that would be a deterrent to outside threats,” Al-Bu Ainain said.

The Air Force is expected soon to select its future advanced trainer after the Advanced Hawk was thrown out of the competition and options were narrowed to South Korea’s T-50 and Italy’s M-336.

The UAE last March signed a memorandum of understanding with EADS for three A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) planes to provide air refueling for the Emirates’ fighters.

The Air Force is still shopping for an early warning aircraft, and according to military and industry sources, Northrop Grumman’s E-2D is back in the competition.

The Air Force embarked a few years back on an ambitious plan to develop and build its own fleet of UAVs for tactical and reconnaissance missions. The Air Force UAV Research and Technology Center, Dhafra Air Base, Abu Dhabi, has been developing two models with the help of two European companies.

The first model is being developed in partnership with Schiebel, Vienna. It is based on the S-100 design and has been branded the Al-Sber UAV by the Air Force.

The second model is being built in partnership with CybAero, Linkoping, Sweden, and has been called the APID 55.

“Both UAVs have vertical-takeoff-and-landing capability and have undergone many hours of flight tests,” said Col. Mahsh Al-Hamili, the head of the UAE Air Force Information, Surveillance and Reconnaissance office, which has direct control over the UAV Research and Technology Center.

The Air Force fleet of 30 AH-64H Apache helicopters is being upgraded by Boeing to the AH-64D Longbow model.

Saudi Arabia has been bolstering its Air Force capabilities since the mid-1980s.

The revival of the oil market after the price drop of the mid-1990s has enabled Riyadh to resume high levels of defense spending.

In September, Saudi Arabia signed a long-awaited contract with Britain to purchase 72 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets in a deal worth $8.85 billion. The Saudi Air Force has 107 BAE Tornado jets, 15 F-5E/B jets in service (and about 50 in the depot) and about 155 F-15C/D/S fighters.

Saudi Arabia has been shopping for some time for a new-generation fighter to replace its old F-5 Tiger II jets and has been considering either upgrading its Tornado jets or replacing them.

“The Saudis like to maintain a political balance with their Western allies, and that is why I believe Riyadh would eventually seek a British or a European jet to replace the Tornado and a U.S.-built jet to replace the F-5,” said Qassem Jaafar, a Doha-based Middle East defense analyst.

Data Link Solutions, a joint venture of BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins, has won a $35 million contract to supply 16 multifunctional information systems for Saudi F-15 fighters.

The Saudis have been working to upgrade their Tornados to the GR4 model, which is in service in British Royal Air Force.

The Saudi Air Force selected earlier this year the A330 MRTT as its preferred choice for new in-flight air refueling aircraft.

The Saudis signed a $49.2 million deal with Boeing in August to install Link 16 data links aboard five Air Force E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft.

Oman, in turn, has put in operational service the 12 F-16 Block 50 fighters it received in 2005. They have joined 24 upgraded Jaguar GR3 jets.

The Royal Air Force of Oman placed in July 2004 an order for 20 NH90 tactical transport helicopters, thus becoming the first Middle East country to purchase the twin-engine, fly-by-wire medium helicopter.

The Oman Air Force will start receiving the NH90 in early 2008, according to Xavier Hay, Eurocopter’s vice president for the Middle East and Africa.

The Kuwait Air Force finished receiving last year all of its 16 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters.

Kuwait has not yet attempted to either upgrade or increase the number of its 39 Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fighters. The Kuwait Air Force is still considering options to replace its 14 Mirage F-1 jets that have been in depot for the past decade.

“The Kuwaiti parliament has made things quite hard for the armed forces in the country,” Qallab said. “Every deal has to be subjected to close scrutiny by parliament, which has shelved many contracts in the past few years.”

Unlike other GCC states, Kuwait has an effective parliament with strong powers.

Qatar and Bahrain were the only two GCC states that did not sign major deals to bolster their air forces.

India’s efforts to buy Qatar’s dozen Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets failed after Doha decided that New Delhi’s offer was too low, according to a Qatari official.

The official, who asked not to be named, said that Qatar was considering options to replace its Mirages, including the U.S. F-16 and France’s Rafale.

A Qatari official source said Qatar is still shopping for 20 helicopters that would replace 12 aging Westland Commando helicopters that are being phased out of service.

The last of six Hawk advanced jet trainers ordered by the Royal Bahrain Air Force were handed over by BAE Systems at the start of the year.

BAE Systems has supplied six Hawk advanced jet trainers along with a package of equipment, support and training as part of an integrated flying training system to the Air Force. The program would improve the number and quality of Bahrain’s front-line pilots by developing an indigenous aviation training system.

The Bahrain Air Force is considering upgrading its fleet of 24 AH-1H Cobra attack helicopters to Super Cobras, according to industry sources. The Air Force has 21 F-16C/D fighter jets and 12 F-5E/F fighters in service. å

E-mail: rkahwaji@defensenews.com

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