Saudi Arabia has launched an upgrade of its fleet of US-made airborne early-warning systems, reported the Middle East Newsline (MENL) on Sunday.
MENL said the Saudi effort aimed to modernize the Arab state's fleet of five Airborne Warning and Control Systems platforms in a $60 million project.
The aircraft is produced by Boeing Co.
The upgrade involves the installation of new avionics for the aircraft. Boeing has already begun installing new mission computers and other hardware and software on the AWACS fleet.
Boeing executives were quoted as saying that the upgrade would bring the Saudi fleet to the same level of avionics currently employed in the US Air Force fleet of AWACS. They said the first two Saudi aircraft were being upgraded this year. The remainder will be completed in 2002.
"This major computing upgrade is a critical first step to adding future enhancements to the Royal Saudi Air Force AWACS fleet's communication and sensor systems," Mike Brewer, Boeing Saudi AWACS program manager, said.
Riyadh began procuring its AWACS fleet in 1981. This included five early-warning aircraft as well as eight KE-3 refueling tanker planes. The early-warning systems are on Boeing 707 aircraft.
This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has tried to modernize its fleet of AWACS, which it acquired in 1981.
In 1998, The Boeing Co. received a $33 million contract to upgrade the mission computers and software of Saudi Arabia's fleet to increase ease of use and operator efficiency.
Egypt has reportedly been trying to cooperate with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in military field.
According to a report by Reuters in July, the Egyptian plan called for linking Gulf Arab systems, including data from the Saudi AWACS, to Egyptian command and control operations – Albawaba.com
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