Saudi Shopping Spree: A Hardened, Networked National Guard

LAV-25 in combat

Arrowhead turrets for AH-64D attack helis. (Jan 5/11)

The Saudi National Guard is seeing a lot of investment lately. In July 2006, the Saudis formally tabled a multi-billion dollar request to buy LAV wheeled APCs and related equipment for its National Guard. When we talked to GDLS in October 2007, they expected to complete a deal some time in 2008, but it took until November 2009 before a contract emerged. A separate December 2009 purchase request would add substantial firepower punch for use against enemy armored vehicles – or urban warfare strongpoints. Additional investments can be expected to follow, and have, in areas as diverse as laser training equipment and helicopters.

Who is the SANG, and why are they a globally significant institution? A must-read article in the Tribune-Libanaise explains:

“The [Saudi] National Guard’s importance is that it was created to protect the royal regime and its interests, including protecting strategic sites such as oil installations. The National Guard is made up of two separate forces: a large group of 60,000 men and a smaller core force of 20,000 men originating from Bedouin tribes such as the Otaiba and Qahtani, who can be mobilised quickly. The men of the core force are called the “White Army,” a name given to them because they wear the white robes of the Bedouin. As the Head of the National Guard, Prince Abdallah has been able to win the backing of the tribes, something that the Sudairis in principle do not have. However, basic recruitment of core units is fraught with inter-ethnic and tribal rivalries. Few men are recruited from the Hijaz region, one that has been opposed to the Sauds since they came to power in the 1920s and 1930s.”

Contracts & Key Events

AH-64Ds w. Arrowhead
(click for full view)

Jan 5/12: SANG AH-64s. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL received a $66.6 million firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the procurement of AH-64D Apache M-TDAS/PNVS (“Arrowhead”) systems and spares for the Saudi Arabia National Guard. Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, with an estimated completion date of March 31/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL as the Saudi’s FMS agent (W58RGZ-11-C-0120).

This is one of several ancillary contracts supporting reports that Saudi Arabia has signed a deal to buy AH-64D Longbow Block III helicopters. That deal wasn’t announced publicly, so it isn’t clear if other services may be covered. Beyond the SANG’s interest in buying 36 Apache Longbow Block IIIs, the Royal Guard wanted 10, and the regular Army wanted to add 24 Block IIIs to its existing fleet of 12 Block IIs. See the Oct 20/10 DSCA request for more.

TOW w. ITAS sensors
(click to view full)

June 25/11: Raytheon in McKinney, TX receives a $53.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for 78 Improved Target Acquisition System units. ITAS is a part of the targeting system on the missile-carrying LAV-AT, and is also used for BGM-71 TOW missiles carried by troops or mounted on other vehicles. The contract could rise to 115 ITAS units, if options of 12 units for the Saudi Arabian National Guard, and 25 units for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense and Aviation, are exercised.

Work will be performed in McKinney, TX, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received by US Army TACOM’s Project Management Office Light Armored Vehicle in Warren, MI (W56HZV-11-C-0274).

June 13/11: The US DSCA announces [PDF] Saudi Arabia’s official request to buy up to 82 more LAV wheeled armored vehicles, plus associated equipment and support. The estimated cost is $350 million, but exact amounts will depend on the contract, if one is negotiated. In light of Saudi troops’ recent intervention in Bahrain at that government’s request, this bit from the DSCA was interesting:

“The proposed sale will improve the Saudi Arabian National Guard’s ability to effectively conduct security and counter-terrorism operations, and would serve to make a key strategic partner in regional contingency operations more capable of defeating those who would threaten regional stability and less reliant on the deployment of U.S. forces to maintain or restore stability in the Middle East.”

Prime contractors will include General Dynamics Land Systems in London, Ontario, Canada (LAVs), ITT Aerospace/Communications in Fort Wayne, IN (radios); Harris Corporation in Rochester, NY (radios); and Raytheon Corporation in Tucson, AZ (LAV-AT’s weapon system). Saudi Arabia already deploys many LAVs, and implementation of this sale will not require the assignment of any more U.S. Government or contractor representatives. Items requested include:

• 25 LAV-25s, with 25mm cannon turrets
• 8 LAV-AG Assault Guns, with 90mm cannon turrets
• 8 LAV-AT Anti-Tank Vehicles, which carry BGM-71 TOW missiles
• 6 LAV-MS, with breech-loaded 120mm mortars and up to 40 rounds inside
• 3 standard LAV wheeled APCs, no turret
• 2 LAV-A Ambulances
• 24 LAV-C2 Command and Control Vehicles
• 3 LAV Ammo Carriers
• 2 LAV-R Recovery Vehicles, for towing stuck vehicles
• 1 LAV Engineer Vehicle, which can add bulldozer, mine plough, and other attachments
• AN/VRC 90E and AN/VRC-92E Export SINCGARS radios
• Plus battery chargers, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and U.S. Government and contractor support.

June 3/11: Lockheed Martin in Orlando, FL receives a $38.3 million firm-fixed-price contract, to give the SANG its Multiple Integrated Laser System (MILES) instrumentation, and exercise control/after action review capabilities. MILES can be thought of as the grown-up, militarized ancestor of laser tag, with the laser carrying information about the shooter (soldier or vehicle), weapon and ammunition. That lets the target’s MILES system determine the results of a hit, if the match indicates that damage is possible, using semi-randomized algorithms. Kind of like “laser tag meets Dungeons & Dragons, on a cyber-date.”

Vehicles usually have a belt of laser sensors, while dismounted troops often wear the vest/harness plus helmet sensors that laser tag veterans know so well. Reference to exercise control/AAR functions indicates a real-time datalink allowing position and event data to be transmitted back to a central site, for review later.

The contract includes materials, manufacturing, integration, system validation and verification, delivery, government acceptance testing, and contractor logistics support to the Saudi Arabia National Guard. Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, and San Diego, CA, with an estimated completion date of May 31/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received bythe U.S. Army Program Executive Office of Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO-STRI) in Orlando, FL, on behalf of its Saudi client (W900KK-11-C-0004).

May 3/11: It isn’t always easy to talk to troops or drivers inside armored vehicles, when your infantry is outside. But recent experiences in Iraq have shown that it’s a very important capability – especially in urban warfare. That’s why Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Linthicum Heights, MD received a $16.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for vehicle intercom communication, vehicle testing, a 10% spares reserve, and a contractor-provided field service representative for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.

Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, MD, with an estimated completion date of Nov 31/13. One sole-source bid was solicited with one bid received. The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-11-C-H609).

April 28/11: Raytheon Network Centric Systems in Dallas, TX receives a sole-source $25.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for driver’s vision enhancers and commander vision enhancers, as part of a Foreign Military Sale to the Saudi Arabian National Guard.

Work will be performed in Dallas, TX, with an estimated completion date of April 30/14. One sole-source bid was solicited with 1 bid received by U.S. Army CECOM at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (W15P7T-11-C-H608).

Jan 4/11: LAVs – SANG? GDLS SVP Dr. Sridhar Sridharan announces that U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command has awarded them a $138 million contract for 82 Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) for “a Foreign Military Sale”. Further details are also murky, but what’s known is this: Vehicles provided under this contract will be the 300hp, 8×8 LAV II, with a base gross vehicle weight of up to 32,000 pounds/ 14,500 kg. The vehicles will be produced in 4 different variants, and vehicle deliveries will begin in January 2012. Since the LAVs are made in London, ON, Canada, the contract was signed through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, the Canadian government’s Crown Agency for military exports.

This may be a SANG contract, or it may be a partial fulfillment of an Oct 4/07 DSCA request [PDF] for 126 LAVs and other vehicles, on behalf of the regular Saudi Land Forces.

Boeing’s AH-6 ARH
(click to view full)

Oct 20/10: As part of Saudi Arabia’s $60 billion 2010 mega-request, the US DSCA announces [PDF] Saudi Arabia’s formal request to buy helicopters, long-term support, and possibly even base construction for the SANG, worth up to $25.6 billion.

Implementation of this proposed sale will require approximately 900 contractor representatives and 30 U.S. Government personnel on a full time basis in Saudi Arabia, for a period of 15 years. Also, this program will require multiple trips to Saudi Arabia involving U.S. government and contractor personnel to participate in annual technical reviews, training, and one-week Program Reviews in Saudi Arabia.

Items requested include:

• 36 Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III attack helicopters. This is the latest version, and Saudi Arabia could become its first confirmed export customer.

• 72 Sikorsky UH-60M Block Hawk Helicopters. The most current variant. Saudi neighbors Bahrain and the UAE have already ordered them.

• 36 Boeing AH-6i Light Attack Helicopters. A different branch of the same family tree that gave birth to the MD 530F. Nearby Jordan signed a Letter of Intent for the AH-6i in May 2010.

• 12 MD Helicopters MD-530F helicopters. Often used by law enforcement as an excellent light utility helicopter, though some countries operate militarized light attack variants. The 530F variant has longer rotor blades and other enhancements, so it performs better in the thinner air of hot or high altitude conditions. It doesn’t use MD’s patented NOTAR system.

• 243 T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines. The UH-60M and the AH-64D both use 2 engines for each helicopter.

• 40 Modernized Targeting Acquisition and Designation Systems/Pilot Night Vision Sensors. M-TADS/PVNS, also known as the AH-64D’s “Arrowhead” turret.
• 20 AN/APG-78 Fire Control Radars with Radar Electronics Unit. The Apache Longbow’s mast mounted radar.
• 20 AN/APR-48A Radar Frequency Interferometer

• 40 Wescam MX-15Di (AN/AAQ-35) Sight/Targeting Sensors. Likely for the AH-6is.

• 52 30mm Automatic Weapons. AH-64D Apaches use ATK’s M230 chain gun.

• 40 GAU-19/A 12.7mm (.50 caliber) Gatling Guns. Can be used as door guns, or pylon-mounted on helicopters. Popular light helicopter weapon.

• 168 M240H Machine Guns. FN Herstal USA’s 7.62mm helicopter door guns, not used on Apaches.

• 421 M310 A1 Modernized Launchers. For Hellfire missiles.
• 158 M299 Hellfire Longbow Missile Launchers
• 2,592 AGM-114R Hellfire Missiles. The -114R is the most modern version, with a triple-threat blast, armor defeating, and fragmentation warhead.

• 171 of Northrop Grumman’s AN/APR-39 Radar Signal Detecting Sets
• 171 of Goodrich’s AN/AVR-2B Laser Warning Sets
• 171 of BAE’s AAR-57v3/5 Common Missile Warning Systems
• 318 Improved Countermeasures Dispensers

• 108 of EFW’s Improved Helmet Display Sight Systems. IHADSS is used by the Apache. The number involved indicates that they may have been picked for the AH-6is as well.

• 300 AN/AVS-9 Night Vision Goggles.

• 1,229 AN/PRQ-7 Combat Survivor Evader Locators (CSEL). Radios used by pilots, especially if they’re shot down.

• 18 Aircraft Ground Power Units.
• 4 BS-1 Enhanced Terminal Voice Switches
• 4 Digital Airport Surveillance Radars
• 4 Fixed-Base Precision Approach Radar
• 4 DoD Advanced Automation Service
• 4 Digital Voice Recording System
• Also included are trainers, simulators, generators, munitions, design and construction, transportation, wheeled vehicles and organization equipment, tools and test equipment, communication equipment, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems, GPS/INS, spare and repair parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, and U.S. Government and contractor support services. The Saudis usually require a lot of support from contractors, in part because it’s an opportunity for royal family members to take a cut.

UH-60M Test flight
(click to see full)

The DSCA specifies the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) as the AH-64D recipient, but is less clear about the other helicopters. The implicit message is that they’re part of the same FMS case to the same military entity, and the SANG could certainly make good use of the UH-60Ms, AH-6is, and MD 530Fs for “the defense of vital installations and will provide close air support for the Saudi military ground forces.” The DSCA adds that this sale will improve the SANG’s “Apache sustainability and interoperability with the U.S. Army, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and other coalition forces.” Saudi Arabia already operates some AH-64s and UH-60s, and the DSCA believes they will have no difficulty absorbing all of these helicopters into their armed forces. Given the level of contractor support included, that’s no surprise.

The prime contractors will be:

• Boeing in Mesa, AZ (AH-64D, AH-6i, CSEL)
• Lockheed Martin Corporation in Orlando, FL (Arrowhead, Hellfire IIs, launchers)
• Lockheed Martin Millimeter Technology in Owego, NY (Longbow system)
• Longbow LLC in Orlando, FL. A Lockheed/Northrop-Grumman joint venture (Longbow system)
• Sikorsky Aircraft West in Palm Beach, FL (UH-60M)
• MD Helicopters in Mesa AZ (MD 530F)
• General Electric Company in Cincinnati, OH (engines)
• ITT Aerospace/Communications in Fort Wayne, IN (night vision)

LAV-M-Saudi
(click to view full)

July 18/10: Raytheon announces a $55 million contract to deliver TOW 2A RF (Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wireless-Guided) anti-armor missiles, as part of a foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia’s National Guard.

This will make Saudi Arabia one of the first TOW RF customers; most TOW missiles in arsenals around the world are still guided through the missiles’ unspooling wire. See also Dec 17/09 entry.

Jan 20/10: Northrop Grumman announces a 5-year contract to continue the modernization and training of the Saudi Arabia National Guard. The $550 million cost-plus-award-fee hybrid contract also contains fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price elements, and as a Foreign Military Sale contract it is managed through the US Army.

Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman Technical Services subsidiary Vinnell Arabia LLC will provide U.S. Army-based doctrine and military training, as well as logistics and support services. Work will be performed throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dec 17/09: TOW-2A. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] Saudi Arabia’s official request to buy 2,700 of Raytheon’s BGM-71E-4B-RF TOW-2A Radio Frequency missiles, plus 42 missiles for lot acceptance testing), publications and technical documentation, and other related elements of support, under the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) modernization program. The estimated cost is $177 million, and the principal contractor would be Raytheon Corporation in Tucson, Arizona. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale, and its implementation will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Saudi Arabia.

The TOW 2A is an improved version of the original Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided missile that’s designed for “bunker busting” attacks on fortifications, bunkers and urban structures. It can also defeat reactive armor if used against tanks etc. The TOW 2A has a published range of 3.75 km/ 2.33 miles.

The TOW-2A RF departs from the type’s standard wire-guided approach by replacing the unspooling wire in the missile’s rear with an encrypted radio link. The Canadian Army became the missile’s first customer in 2007, and because the wireless system is built into the missile and the missile case, TOW RF is compatible with all existing TOW 2-capable ground launchers – including Canadian LAV-TUA (LAV-AT) vehicles.

Nov 24/09: LAVs. General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada in London, Ontario announces a $2.2 billion Foreign Military Sale contract for 724 LAV-II 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carriers, in 10 different variants. While the destination country is not specified, the number exactly matches this Saudi order. Delivery will begin in 2011.

Dr. Sridhar Sridharan, senior vice-president of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada:

“We are pleased to be working once again with TACOM and USASAC in support of their Foreign Military Sales program. This contract now allows us to immediately start work on variant design and production readiness. We look forward to reaching the manufacturing portion of this contract which will help us bring stability to our production workforce.”

See: PR Newswire | London Free Press | AP.

July 18/08: Support. The US DSCA announces [PDF] Saudi Arabia’s formal request to buy up to $1.8 billion in equipment for the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), covering the years 2009 through 2013. This includes training, professional military advice and assistance, management assistance, contract administration, construction oversight, transportation of equipment, personnel training and training equipment, LAV training, spare and repair parts, management of repair and return of components, automation program support, and other related elements of logistics support.

The principal contractor will be Vinnell Arabia Corporation of Herndon, VA. At present, there are approximately 215 U.S. Government personnel and 500 contractor representatives in country supporting the SANG Modernization Program.

Sept 27/06: The US DSCA announces [PDF] Saudi Arabia’s official request [PDF] to buy Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) equipment. “The radios will provide the critical VHF and HF links necessary for a large fast moving force and integration with the SINCGARS radios SANG already has fielded in its Light Armored Vehicle and Light Infantry Brigades.” The request includes:

• 552 AN/VRC-90E Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS) Vehicular Single Long-Range Radio Systems;
• 225 AN/VRC-92E SINCGARS Vehicular Single Long-Range Radio Systems Dual Long Range
• 1,214 AN/PRC-119 E SINCGARS Man-pack Single Long-Range Radio Systems Man-pack
• Vehicular installation kits, communications management system computers, antennas, programmable fill devices, support equipment; publications and technical data; personnel training and training equipment; contractor engineering and technical support services and other related elements of logistics support.

At present, there are approximately 250 U.S. Government personnel and 630 contractor representatives in country supporting the SANG modernization program. The estimated cost of this clice is up to $84 million, though that will depend on negoaitated contracts. The principal contractors will be:

• ITT Aerospace/Communications Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Harris Corporation Rochester, New York
• Northrop Grumman Corporation Linthicum, Maryland

July 20/06: LAVs. The DSCA announces [PDF] Saudi Arabia’s formal request for 724 Light Armored Vehicles (LAV) in a number of different variants, plus weapons, night-vision equipment, communications gear etc., in order to modernize the SANG. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $5.8 billion.

Congress didn’t take any action to block the sale, but the Saudis didn’t take any action to complete it with a contract until 2009. Variants requested at the time included:

• LAV-PC (personnel carrier)
• LAV-25 (personnel carrier with 25mm canon)
• LAV-A (Ambulance)
• LAV-AC (Ammunition Carrier)
• LAV-AG (Assault Gun with 90mm cannon)
• LAV-AT (Anti-Tank, pop-up turret carries TOW missiles)
• LAV-CC (Command & Control)
• LAV-E (Engineer, with bulldozer blade et. al.)
• LAV-M (81mm Mortar carrier – but there is a LAV-M(S) Saudi configuration, with a 120mm breech-loading mortar in a turret)
• LAV-R (Recovery, equipped with crane etc.)

Other equipment ordered included:

• 162 84mm Recoilless Rifles (popularly known as bazookas). The well-known Carl Gustaf/MAAWS is an example of a modern 84mm recoilless rifle. It is made by Bofors of Sweden.
• 630 AN/PAS-13 Thermal Weapon Sights for soliders’ weapons
• 1,700 AN/AVS-7D Aviators binocular Night Vision Goggles (NVG). See DID’s NVG article.
• 432 AN/PVS-14 monocular NVG. See DID’s NVG article.
• 1,160 AN/VRC-90E Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS) vehicular single long-range radio systems
• 627 AN/VRC-92E SINCGARS vehicular single long-range radio systems
• 518 AN/VRC-119E SINCGARS vehicular single long-range radio systems
• 2,198 SINCGARS Spearhead handheld radios;

SpearHead radios

The Saudis are also requesting Harris Corporation Commercial High Frequency Radios; various commercial vehicles; fixed facilities and ranges; simulations; generators; battery chargers; protective clothing; shop equipment; training devices; spare and repair parts; sets, kits, and outfits; support equipment; publications and technical data; personnel training and training equipment; contractor engineering and technical support services and other related elements of logistics support.

As noted earlier, the total value if all options are exercised could be as high as $5.8 billion, with no industrial offset agreements. The principal contractors will be:

• General Dynamics Land Systems in London, Ontario, Canada (LAVs)
• ITT Aerospace/Communications in Fort Wayne, IN (SINCGARS, Night Vision)
• Harris Corporation in Rochester, NY (Radios)
• Raytheon Corporation in Tucson, AZ (PAS-13)

AN/PVS-7: The View
(note MFALS on gun)

As the DSCA notes:

“The continuation of services under the SANG Modernization Program is an evolution of the SANG as an effective defensive force with the advice, assistance, and training of the U.S. Army….. At present, there are approximately 250 U.S. Government personnel and 630 contractor representatives in country supporting the SANG modernization program…. The proposed sale will also provide SANG with additional command, control, and communications equipment needed to operate in a secure communications environment that will facilitate the performance of its mission within Saudi Arabia…. The radios will modernize equipment and provide the critical VHF and HF links necessary for a large fast moving force and integration with the SINCGARS radios SANG already has fielded in its Light Armored Vehicle and Light Infantry Brigades.”

Additional Readings & Sources

• Global Security.org – Light Armored Vehicle (LAV). Covers assorted variants as well.

• US DSCA (July 20/06) – DSCA notified congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia to continue modernization of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) [PDF format]

• The Peninsula of Qatar (July 24/06) – Saudi raises defence spending

• Tribune-Libanaise (June 22/06) – The Geopolitics of Weapons Procurement in the Gulf States. Excellent analysis.