Saudi Ballistic Missiles

[GTX]

Triggered by this news report:

CNN Exclusive: US intel and satellite images show Saudi Arabia is now building its own ballistic missiles with help of China

US intelligence agencies have assessed that Saudi Arabia is now actively manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China, CNN has learned, a development that could have significant ripple effects across the Middle East and complicate the Biden administration's efforts to restrain...

edition.cnn.com

I must admit that I never knew the Saudis had ballistic missiles or a Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force. It appears they have a mix of Chinese DF-3 and DF-21 missiles.

Moderators Note: Please keep political comments out of thread. I am posting this only for the focus on technology and capability, not politics.

 

[GTX]

Some more on this capability and history:

https://nuke.fas.org/guide/saudi/srf.pdf

 

[Archibald]

I nearly fell from my chair a while back reading that

Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The missile has a maximum range of 4,000 km and was delivered following an order made by Saudi Arabia in 1987.[15] About 50 missiles (according to SIPRI) and 9~12 transporter erector launchers (TEL) were reportedly delivered in 1988, however no known test-launch has been made in the country.

I have a feeling that came right from the Iraqis bombing of Teheran with Scuds in the "War of the cities" back in the day... in 1985-86. Not that it did worked very well: Scuds couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and even less Teheran.

 

[Dilandu]

I must admit that I never knew the Saudis had ballistic missiles or a Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force. It appears they have a mix of Chinese DF-3 and DF-21 missiles.

Well, they need something to deter Iran. And since both USA and Russia were limited by treaty & could not provide short/medium range ballistics, they went for the only remaining supplier - China.

 

[Lc89]

I don't understand the astonishment. This has always been an open secret.

 

[Trident]

While it's not exactly a secret, the fact is rarely acknowledged outside very specific contexts and hence poorly known even to military enthusiasts (let alone the general public), as demonstrated by this very thread. To appreciate why the revelation causes such a great deal of astonishment in many people requires a discussion of the political aspect, I think, and is therefore off-topic.