Saudis Claim British Jet Deal Worth Less than $70 Billion

AFP: Saudi Arabia claimed that a deal with Britain to buy Typhoon jets is valued at much less than the reported figure of $70 billion, the SPA official news agency said.

“The reported news of an armament deal valued at over $70 billion between the kingdom and Britain is not correct,” SPA reported late on Dec. 22, quoting a Defense Ministry official.

“This figure is much higher than what was agreed upon,” the unidentified source added, without revealing the value of the deal.

Britain’s Defense Ministry had said Dec. 21 that the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding under which Britain would supply Typhoon.

An official at the Saudi Defense Ministry confirmed that.

The Typhoon Eurofighter, which is largely manufactured by British defense and aerospace giant BAE Systems in partnership with other European countries, will replace the Tornado warplanes supplied to the Saudis in another massive and controversial deal two decades ago.

In September, the British newspaper The Guardian reported that London had been in secret discussions with Saudi Arabia over a deal worth up to 40 billion pounds ($70 billion, 59 billion euros).

In October, the oil-rich kingdom denied it was engaged in secret negotiations, but acknowledged that London would like to sell it the planes.