Royal Saudi Air Force

The Royal Saudi Air Force is the <a href="/facts/Military_aviation/TfPJLKjh">aviation</a> branch of the <a href="/facts/Armed_Forces_of_Saudi_Arabia/wGSXUDQD">Saudi Arabian Armed Forces</a>.
The Royal Saudi Air Force currently has wings, squadrons, and a special forces unit dedicated to <a href="/facts/Combat_search_and_rescue/97q5LmWY">combat search and rescue</a>.
The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability, and maintains the second largest fleet of <a href="/facts/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15_Eagle/8ublq0RC">F-15 Eagles</a> after the <a href="/facts/United_States_Air_Force/7MxWBYlc">USAF</a>.
The backbone of the RSAF is currently the F-15 Eagle, with the <a href="/facts/Panavia_Tornado/sIJ2ohKS">Panavia Tornado</a> also forming a major component. The Tornado and many other aircraft were delivered under the <a href="/facts/Al-Yamamah_arms_deal/1tXMFTDT">Al Yamamah</a> contracts with <a href="/facts/British_Aerospace/x6d51uno">British Aerospace</a> (now <a href="/facts/BAE_Systems/W1wLXh5x">BAE Systems</a>).
The RSAF ordered various weapons in the 1990s, including <a href="/facts/Sea_Eagle_(missile)/bdCMSHu1">Sea Eagle</a> <a href="/facts/Anti-ship_missile/f6MbP8Ab">anti-ship missiles</a>, <a href="/facts/Laser-guided_bomb/lzYaGfcA">laser-guided bombs</a> and <a href="/facts/Gravity_bomb/Pxd1KvCE">gravity bombs</a>. Al-Salam, a successor to the Al Yamamah agreement will see 48 <a href="/facts/Eurofighter_Typhoon/831fqTEd">Eurofighter Typhoons</a> delivered by BAE.

Royal Saudi Air Force open-in-new

Royal Saudi Air Force