Interesting Drone Deal Between Saudi Arabia and China

Interesting Drone Deal Between Saudi Arabia and China

Army, AEON, Waiouru, People: 16th Field Regiment operate there UAV 'KAHU' out of Waiouru Army Training Area during field tests. Gunner Jordan Barratt prepares KAHU prior to Launch.

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The US ally Saudi Arabia has signed a deal with China to buy drones that are capable of carrying missiles and laser guided bombs.

The drones, which are also capable of using other modern methods of firing, are beneficial to the Saudi kingdom in its operation against rebels.

The agreement to sell the UAVs, developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, was signed within the framework of the visit of the Defense Minister Muhammad Bin Salman.
The medium-altitude, long-endurance UAVs are effective tools for gathering intelligence as well as information monitoring, reported the Arab newspaper Al-Watan.

The UAV can also be used for civil tasks such as disaster assessment, meteorological operations, and environmental protection.

Military analyst Viktor Baranets said “China is beginning to penetrate the territory of American influence and Saudi Arabia is one of them. Another example is Djibouti, where Chinese military are establishing themselves near the US military base”.

“Saudi Arabia is at the front line of the fight against terrorism in the Middle East and has extensive experience in this field. The exchange of intelligence, national defense and security in order to fight terrorism is the important area of cooperation between the two states” said Su Hao,Professor at the Diplomatic Academy.

In recent years, there is friendly cooperation in the field of technological equipment and staff training as well, said Defense Minister Chang Wanquan during a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Muhammad Bin Salman.

According to Sputnik news, Saudi Arabia is the main platforms through which China aims to enhance its military as well as political influence in the Middle East.
Baranets added that the military-technical ties between China and Saudi Arabia could have some serious influence on global geopolitics and this could be a matter of concern for the US.