Saudi Arabia prepares large-scale purchase of Ukrainian UAVs
Saudi Arabia is preparing for a large-scale purchase of Ukrainian air defense systems.
As reported by Censor.NET, this was stated in a Wall Street Journal article. Gulf countries plan to use Ukraine’s experience to defend themselves against kamikaze drones that Russia uses to attack Ukraine.
Ukrainian technologies for countering drones
According to the publication’s source, Riyadh is in talks to purchase Ukrainian-made interceptor drones and electronic warfare (EW) systems. The contract could be worth millions of dollars, although the final document has not yet been signed.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, other countries in the region have also shown interest in Ukrainian technologies. In particular, Qatari representatives have already visited Ukraine to study its experience in countering drones.
An alternative to costly strikes
The Gulf countries have faced the same Iranian Shahed drones that Russia uses against Ukraine. Until now, the United States and its allies have often shot down these cheap aerial vehicles with expensive missiles, which is economically inefficient.
"The Ukrainian approach offers alternative methods: interceptor drones that crash into the enemy drone, or EW systems that jam the drone’s communication signals and force it to lose its target," the report says.
The United States has already deployed some Merops interceptor systems to the Gulf, systems that were successfully tested in combat conditions in Ukraine.
- As previously reported, on Tuesday, 10 March, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a Ukrainian delegation led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov had departed for Middle Eastern countries for talks on security and countering air threats.
