Saudi TSP: Tornado Upgrades, incl. Storm Shadow’s Stealth Strike
Feb 24, 2013 13:40 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff
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On Feb 19/10, Defense News reported that Saudi Arabia’s fleet of Tornado low-level, medium-range strike fighters would soon be receiving a pair of significant enhancements: MBDA’s stealthy Storm Shadow medium range cruise missiles, and the MBDA/Boeing Brimstone anti-armor missile. The Storm Shadow would give the Saudis a potent long range strike capability against even heavily-defended targets, while the Brimstone missiles will allow Saudi fast jets to serve in an assault-breaker role, or offer reliable close air support for ground forces.
These developments were actually Phase 2 of an ongoing effort to keep the RSAF’s Tornado strike fleet relevant until at least 2020, under BAE Systems’ Saudi Tornado Sustainment Programme…
TSP: Goals and Gear
fires Brimstone
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The amounts involved in the Saudi TSP are not small, but weren’t said to be significant enough to require specific mention in the multi-billion dollar firm’s 2009 preliminary results. The TSP was understood to be worth around GBP 2.5 billion and cover 84 Tornado IDS, but in 2012, BAE Systems said it had delivered just 73 upgraded aircraft under TSP.
In addition to Phase 1 efforts involving improved avionics displays, modernized communications technologies, GPS navigation, and other standard amenities, the aircraft have also been undergoing deeper modernizations that will allow them to carry a wide range of modern precision-guided weapons. Phase 2 added new weapons and sensors, reportedly including MBDA’s Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles and Brimstone short range strike missiles, and Thales’ Damocles targeting pod. A 2007 Flight International article quoted RSAF Lt Col Abdulaziz Al Qdairi, commander of RSAF 75 Sqn:
“TSP is upgrading the aircraft so that it will be capable of carrying any advanced weapons available not only Brimstone and Storm Shadow, [but also Paveway/Enhanced Paveway-series bombs and advanced air-to-air missiles]… We hope we will have such as these to make sure our air force has the latest weapons and technology. The goal is to reach the stage that the RAF is currently using with its GR4s.”
A 2013 BAE report said that all of these modifications have been made and tested, and all Saudi Tornado IDS fighter-bombers returned to the fleet.
Contracts & Key Events
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Feb 21/13: BAE 2012 review. BAE’s end of year investor presentation [PDF] discusses changes in Saudi Arabia, including total support efforts.
“Under the Saudi British Defence Co-operation Programme (SBDCP), orders totalling £3.4bn were awarded for support through to 2016, including the provision of manpower, logistics and training to the RSAF…. Under the TSP, the upgrade of the RSAF Tornado fleet is complete, with all of the contracted aircraft having been delivered back into the RSAF fleet. Delivery of Storm Shadow missiles to the RSAF under the TSP is progressing in line with the agreed programme schedule. “
Feb 19/10: New strike weapons. Defense News reports that Saudi Arabia’s fleet of Tornado low-level, medium-range strike fighters will soon be receiving a pair of significant enhancements: MBDA’s stealthy Storm Shadow medium range cruise missiles, and the MBDA/Boeing Brimstone anti-armor missile.
Sept 7/09: IRIS-T missiles. Diehl BGT receives an interesting spin-off order for its 5th generation IRIS-T (InfraRed Imaging System – Tail/thrust vector controlled) short range air-air missiles, which will equip Saudi Arabia’s Eurofighter Typhoons and its Tornado strike aircraft. The size of the order was not announced.
The Saudis have ordered comparable American AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles for their F-15 fleet, but IRIS-T is a comparable missile that has already been integrated with Tornado and Typhoon aircraft belonging to Germany and Italy, removing the need for that additional work. The Saudis could also have chosen MBDA UK’s AIM-132 ASRAAM, which is integrated on RAF Eurofighters.
IRIS-T emerged after Germany pulled out of the joint US-UK-German ASRAAM program. Testing with their “new” East German MiG-29s and AA-11/R-73 Archer SRAAMs led them to believe that ASRAAM’s entire philosophy was wrong, and so they sought to develop their own missile based on the AA-11′s lessons. IRIS-T is being developed by a multinational European consortium, and the missile has now been ordered by Germany, Denmark, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, and Spain among consortium countries; plus small export orders to Austria, South Africa, and eventually Thailand. As of 2013, Saudi Arabia remains the first sizable export order beyond the consortium.
IRIS-T SRAAM contract
Late 2007: 1st fully upgraded aircraft thought to have been delivered from BAE Systems. Most serial upgrades were reportedly done in Saudi Arabia, by the Riyadh-based Alsalam Aircraft Company. Source.
1st Delivery
March 4/07: Flight International:
“Tornado Sustainment Programme aircraft ZH917 is pictured at BAE’s Warton site in Lancashire on 2 April carrying two Storm Shadow rounds, including one painted in high-visibility markings for possible test release purposes… BAE declines to comment… a UK source close to the negotiations confirms that the more than 250km (135nm)-range Storm Shadow is “among a number of systems” now being evaluated for possible integration as part of the Royal Saudi Air Force’s Tornado upgrade.”
MBDA’s Storm Shadow/Scalp is a long-range, stealthy cruise missile with precision strike capabilities.
Sept 12/06: British newspapers are reporting that BAE has won a GBP 2.5 billion (about $4.66 billion) contract to upgrade Saudi Arabia’s Tornado fighter aircraft, and that these measures are likely to keep the ground attack (Tornado IDS) and air-defense (Tornado F3) aircraft in service until 2020 or so. Defense News.
Saudi Arabia currently operates about 120 Tornado aircraft, including both the strike-optimized Tornado IDS (96 aircraft, Scramble places them within 7, 66, 75 & 83 Squadrons at Dhahran on the east coast), and Tornado F3 ADV long-range interceptors (24 planes in 29 Sqadron at Tabuk near Jordan).
TSP contract
Early 2005: BAE Systems enters a prototype phase, with 3 aircraft shipped to Warton: 2 IDS from 66 Sqn and 1 IDS(T) trainer from 75 Sqn. Source.
2003: BAE Systems announces that they’re negotiating an upgrade program for the RSAF’s Tornado IDS fleet, which was delivered from 1986. Source.
Additional Readings
- Flickr (Dec 12/11) – Cad East Saudi camo dec 21/2011. Pictures of RSAF Tornado ZK113. Very different from the 2009 gray camo.
- Airplane Photos (Dec 8/09) – Saudi Air Force Tornado TSP upgrade. Photographed as it stopped over at Malta, en route back to Saudi Arabia.
