| Saudi Arabian Army الجيش العربي السعودي |
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RSA flag |
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| Founded | 1923 - Present |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Allegiance | Saudi Arabia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Land Force |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Size | 150,000[1] |
| Part of | Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia |
| Nickname | RSLF |
| Motto | 'God is the greatest' "الله أكبر" or 'a land we don't protect, we don't deserve to live in it' "وطن لانحميه, لانستحق العيش فيه" |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of Army Staff | Lt. General Khalid bin Bandar |
The Saudi Arabian Army (Arabic: الجيش العربي السعودي), also called Royal Saudi Land Force (Arabic: القوات البرية الملكية السعودية). Is a branch of the Saudi Armed Forces. The total number of active troops is estimated to be 233,500[1] The current Chief of the Saudi General Staff is Field Marshal Saleh Al-Muhaya.
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1923 is considered to be the birth year of the Saudi Army, as the modern Saudi Arabia have been Unified and founded as a single state. After the discovery of oil and the meeting between King Abdulaziz and the American President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 14, 1945, the Americans became the new major ally of Saudi Arabia.
Other events that led to an expansion of the Saudi Army were the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the subsequent fears of possible Shia's actions and in the last years the first Gulf War in 1990. In the year 2000, Saudi Arabia's government spent billions of dollars to expand the Saudi Forces including the Saudi Army.
Wars involving Saudi Army:
The combat strength of the Saudi Army consists of 4 armoured brigades, 17 mechanized infantry brigades, three light motorized rifle brigades, and one airborne brigade. It also has five independent artillery brigades and an aviation command. The Saudi Army deployed the 12th Armoured Brigade and 6th Mechanized Brigade at King Faisal Military City in the Tabuk area. It deployed the 4th Armoured Brigade, and 11th Mechanized Brigade at King Abdul Aziz Military City in the Khamis Mushayt area. It deployed the 20th Mechanized Brigade and 8th Mechanized Brigade at King Khalid Military City near Hafr al Batin. The 10th Mechanized Brigade is deployed at Sharawrah, which is near the border with Yemen and about 150 kilometers from Zamak.[2]
Despite the addition of a number of units and increased mobility achieved during the 1970s and 1980s, the army's personnel complement has expanded only moderately since a major buildup was launched in the late 1960s. The army has been chronically understrength, in the case of some units by an estimated 30 to 50 percent. These shortages have been aggravated by a relaxed policy that permitted considerable absenteeism and by a serious problem of retaining experienced technicians and noncommissioned officers (NCOs). The continued existence of a separate national guard also limited the pool of potential army recruits.[2]
Armor
the four armoured brigades, 8 mechanized
A typical Saudi armoured brigade has an armoured reconnaissance company, three tank battalions with 42 tanks each, two tank companies with 30 tanks, three tank troops with 12 tanks, a mechanized infantry battalion with 54 AIFVs/APCs, and an artillery battalion with 18 self-propelled guns. It also has an army aviation company, an engineer company, a logistic battalion, a field workshop, and a medical company.[3]
Mechanized
The eight mechanized brigades consists of one tank battalion, three mechanized infantry battalions, an artillery battalion, and a support battalion.
A typical Saudi mechanized brigade has an armoured reconnaissance company, one tank battalion with 37-42, three mechanized infantry battalion with 54 AIFVs/APCs each, two infantry companies with a total of 33 APCs, three infantry platoons with a total of 12 APCs, and an artillery battalion with 18 self-propelled guns. It also has an army aviation company, an engineer company, a logistic battalion, a field workshop, and a medical company. It has 24 anti-tank guided weapons launchers and four mortar sections with a total of eight 81mm mortars.[3]
Infantry
Each infantry brigade consists of three motorized battalions, an artillery battalion, and a support battalion. Army brigades should not be confused with Saudi Arabian National Guard brigades, of which there are the 1st Brigade (1/2/3/4 Combined Arms Battalions) and the 2nd Brigade (5/6/7/8 Combined Arms Battalions).
Airborne
The Airborne Brigade is normally deployed near Tabuk. The Airborne Brigade has two parachute battalions and three Special Forces companies. The three light motorized brigades include the 17th, 18th, and 19th. Saudi Arabia is expanding its Special Forces and improving their equipment and training to help deal with the threat of terrorism. The Special Forces have been turned into independent fighting units to help deal with terrorists, and report directly to Prince Sultan..
Artillery Battalions
The separate Royal Guard Regiment consists of three light infantry battalions.
The Saudi government spends billions of dollars on military armament and usually buys equipment from its main ally the US. However the army is set to purchase 150 T-90S MBT and 250 BMP-3 IFV from Russia.
| Model | Type | Quantity | Acquired | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M203 | Single shot grenade launcher | United States | |||
| FGM-148 Javelin | Anti-tank guided missile | United States | |||
| BGM-71 TOW | Anti-tank guided missile | N/A | N/A | United States | Long-range anti-tank missile |
| Model | Type | Quantity | Acquired | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMMWV | Light utility vehicle | 15,000+ | United States |
| Model | Type | Quantity | Acquired | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1A2 Abrams | Main battle tank | 315 | United States | [4] Will be upgraded to M1A2S standard. | |
| M1A2S Abrams | Main battle tank | 58 | United States | ||
| M60A1/A3 Patton | Main battle tank | 460 | United States | ||
| Leopard 2A7+ | Main battle tank | 200 | Germany | ||
| T-90 | Main battle tank | 152 | Russia | Under negotiation | |
| AMX-30 | Main battle tank | 320 | France | ||
| Al-Fahd | Infantry fighting vehicle | 100 | Saudi Arabia | ||
| AMX-10P | Infantry fighting vehicle | 570 | France | [5] | |
| M2A2 Bradley | Infantry fighting vehicle | 400 | United States | [5] | |
| BMP-3 | Infantry fighting vehicle | 250 | Russia | Under negotiation | |
| M113 | Armoured personnel carrier | 3,000 | United States | [5] 364 had been upgraded | |
| EE-11 Urutu | Armoured personnel carrier | 20 | Brazil | ||
| Panhard M3 | Armoured personnel carrier | 300 | France | ||
| Panhard AML-60/90 | Armoured car | 300 | Saudi Arabia | [5] |
| Model | Type | Quantity | Acquired | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M224 Mortar | Mortar | N/A | N/A | United States | |
| Brandt 60mm LR Gun-mortar | Mortar | N/A | N/A | France | |
| M30 107 mm Mortar | Mortar | N/A | United States | ||
| Swingfire | Anti-tank guided missile | N/A | N/A | United Kingdom | |
| PLZ-45 | Self-propelled artillery | 54[6] | China | ||
| M109A2 | Self-propelled artillery | 280 | United States | ||
| AMX-GCT | Self-propelled artillery | 90 | France | [5] | |
| M198 howitzer | Howitzer | 120+ | United States | ||
| FH-70 | Howitzer | 72+ | European Union | ||
| M102 howitzer | Howitzer | 140[5] | United States | ||
| Astros II MLRS | Rocket artillery | 60 + | Brazil |
| Model | Type | Quantity | Acquired | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF-3 | Intermediate-range ballistic missile | 80 | China | Numbers and warheads are under great secrecy; both have never been declared by the two governments. |
| Model | Type | Quantity | Origin | Comments | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell 406CS Combat Scout | Attack Helicopter | 13 | United States | ||
| AH-64D Apache | Attack Helicopter | 70 | United States | ||
| Sikorsky S-70A1/A1L Black Hawk | Transport Helicopter | 12 | United States | ||
| Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk | Transport Helicopter | 90 | United States | A further 24 UH-60L requested for $350m. | |
| Ka-50 | Attack Helicopter | 30 | Russia | Under negotiation |
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