JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has boosted its defense capabilities with a $29.4 billion arms deal with the United States. The Kingdom confirmed on Friday that it has signed the deal to purchase 84 F-15SA fighter jets. A Defense Ministry spokesman said the deal includes 70 Apache attack helicopters, 72 Black Hawk helicopters, 36 AH-6i helicopters and 12 MD-530F helicopters as well as upgrading of 70 existing F15 jets. “The agreement also includes munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance and logistics for several years to ensure high level of defense capabilities for the Kingdom to safeguard its people and land,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the spokesman as saying. He said the deal came in line with the desire of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, supreme commander of the armed forces, to strengthen the defense capabilities of Saudi forces. In a previous statement, Defense Minister Prince Salman emphasized the need to modernize the Kingdom’s armed forces and bolster its defense capabilities in the face of growing challenges and threats. In a similar statement, Chief of Staff Gen. Hussein Al-Qubail warned against the dangerous developments surrounding the Kingdom and had called for quick action to modernize the armed forces. The defense…

THE US government has announced a deal with Saudi Arabia, agreeing to sell F-15 fighter jets valued at nearly $US30 billion to the Royal Saudi Air Force. The agreement, and the government's parallel plan to press ahead with a nearly $US11 billion arms deal for Iraq, despite rising political tensions there, is evidence of its determination to project US military influence in the oil-rich Persian Gulf, which is shadowed by a threat from Iran. Although the White House said the deal had not been accelerated to respond to threats by Iranian officials in recent days to shut off the Strait of Hormuz, its timing is laden with significance, as tensions with Iran have deepened and the US has withdrawn its last soldiers from Iraq. Advertisement: Story continues below ''This sale will send a strong message to countries in the region that the United States is committed to stability in the gulf and the broader Middle East,'' said Andrew Shapiro, the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. ''It will enhance Saudi Arabia's ability to deter and defend against external threats to its sovereignty.'' The agreement also suggests that the US and Saudi Arabia have moved beyond a falling-out over the…