DefenceTalkSwedish defence company Saab Dynamics is close to finalizing a new arms sales deal with Saudi Arabia, financial newspaper Dagens Industri reports. Intense negotiations over the delivery of the anti-tank missile Bill 2 have been going on for nearly one year, according to Dagens Industri. The ongoing diplomatic row between Sweden and Saudi Arabia will […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-weapons-on-the-way-to-saudi-arabia-63544/

DefenceTalkRiyadh: The US embassy in Saudi Arabia said it had suspended consular services in the kingdom for two days due to “heightened security concerns”, after warning of threats against Western oil workers. All services in Riyadh and at the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran have been cancelled for Sunday and Monday, it said in a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-shuts-saudi-embassy-over-security-fears-63519/

DefenceTalkSaudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador to Stockholm, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, as a rift between the two countries deepened with Sweden cutting military ties after a row over a human rights speech. “Diplomatic relations are not broken. But Saudi Arabia’s ambassador has been recalled,” foreign ministry spokesman Erik Boman told AFP. Sweden […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-arabia-recalls-ambassador-to-sweden-after-military-ties-cut-63453/

DefenceTalkSaudi Arabia overtook India in 2014 as the world’s biggest importer of defense equipment, fuelled by tensions in the Middle East, according to a study published on Sunday by respected analysts IHS Jane’s. Global defence trade currently stands at $64.4 billion, said the report from the London-based defense specialists. The figure has been driven by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-arabia-becomes-top-arms-importer-63402/

DefenceTalkAfter a few weeks of uncertainty, Berlin has approved the delivery of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt. Opposition politicians have accused the ruling coalition of putting profit before human rights. Germany’s Federal Security Council approved the export of shooting simulation systems, target display devices and border security technology to Saudi Arabia on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-approves-weapons-exports-to-saudi-arabia-62632/

DefenceTalkThe German government on Monday refused to confirm or deny a newspaper report that it had stopped all arms exports to Saudi Arabia, in the wake of controversy over the Arab state’s ongoing human rights abuses. The Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday that the German Security Council – a secret committee chaired by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/confusion-over-german-arms-exports-to-saudi-arabia-62250/

DefenceTalkGermany has decided to stop arms exports to Saudi Arabia because of “instability in the region,” German daily Bild reported on Sunday. Weapons orders from Saudi Arabia have either been “rejected, pure and simple,” or deferred for further consideration, the newspaper said, adding that the information has not been officially confirmed. The decision was taken […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-halts-arms-exports-to-saudi-arabia-report-62162/

DefenceTalkSaudi Arabia and France sealed an agreement Tuesday for Riyadh to finance the delivery of $3 billion worth of French weapons to the Lebanese army, which has come under mounting jihadist attack. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius hailed the conclusion of the deal, first announced last December, as a major boost to the Lebanese army’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-france-seal-3-bn-weapons-deal-for-lebanon-army-60960/

DefenceTalkU.S. and Saudi Arabian military forces conducted eight airstrikes on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets in Syria yesterday and today, U.S. Central Command officials reported. Four airstrikes southwest of Kobani struck a large ISIL unit and a small ISIL unit, damaged an ISIL staging location and destroyed an ISIL heavy-machine-gun firing position. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-saudi-arabia-conduct-airstrikes-against-isil-in-syria-60753/

DefenceTalkThe State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a Patriot Air Defense System with PAC-3 enhancement and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.750 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/patriot-air-defense-system-with-pac-3-enhancement-for-saudi-arabia-60659/