The Saudi Arabian Air Defense Forces or officially Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RSADF) ( ar, قُوَّات الدِفَاع الجوّي المَلكِيَّ السُّعُودِي) is the
aerial defense service branch of the
Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. It is fourth of the five service branches of the
MOD.
[Al Saud, K. Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, al-Moqatel (in Arabic) online.] It has its HQ in
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
, where there is also an elaborate underground command facility that co-ordinates the
Arabian Kingdom's advanced "Peace Shield" radar and air defense system, with an estimated 40,000
active duty
Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service.
India
The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be o ...
military personnel in 2015.
Along with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), it has responsibility for securing the skies of Saudi Arabia.
Overview
Towards the end of the 1970s, a paradigm shift occurred with the
SAAF with the making of the RSAD Corps as a separate and equivalent service, equal to the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, and
Air Forces. It is no longer subordinate to the
RSLF. The impetus behind this shift is the ever-changing threat. The concern by the
Kingdom of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their mechanism of delivery, resulted in the early understanding by the
MoD of the requirement to transform, and thus the creation of the RSADF.
Between 2017 and 2020, the RSAF claimed the interception of 311 cruise missiles and 343 suicide drones but failed to stop all the attacks against the strategic Saudi sites of the
Houthi movement and
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
Peace Shield
* Remote-controlled air/ground radio communications sites.
* 17
Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
AN/FPS-117
The AN/FPS-117 is an L-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) 3-dimensional air search radar first produced by GE Aerospace in 1980 and now part of Lockheed Martin. The system offers instrumented detection at ranges on the order of an ...
long-range
phased array
In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...
, 3-dimensional air search
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...
.
* 6
Northrop-Grumman AN/TPS-43
The AN/TPS-43 is a transportable air search 3D radar produced in the United States originally by Westinghouse Defense and Electronic Division, which was later purchased by Northrop-Grumman. It is used primarily for early warning and tactical co ...
portable 3-dimensional tactical air search
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...
.
*
Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...
Improved HAWK air defense missile system.
*
Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...
MIM-104 Patriot
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar comp ...
air defense missile system
*
Oerlikon Contraves
Rheinmetall Air Defence AG is a division of German armament manufacturer Rheinmetall, created when the company's Oerlikon Contraves unit was renamed on 1 January 2009 and integrated with Rheinmetall's other air-defence products. Oerlikon Contra ...
Skyguard 35mm Twin Cannon Short Range air defense system
*
Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
THAAD
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their termina ...
anti-ballistic missile defense system.
Source:
[ Janes-Military-Communications, 5 July 2005, ]
Peace Shield (Saudi Arabia), Systems
'' Retrieved 2012-01-23
Past Inventory
See also
*
Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force
The Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force ( ar, قوة الصواريخ الإستراتيجية الملكية السعودية) or RSSMF is the fifth branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces, responsible for commissioning long-range strategic m ...
Notes
References
External links
R.S. Air Defense official website
*
(Warrior Desert)
{{use dmy dates, date=March 2020
Air defense
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...
Aerial warfare
Air defence units and formations
Military units and formations established in 1930
1930 establishments in Saudi Arabia
Anti-aircraft warfare
Air defence forces