BAE signs landmark Eurofighter contract with Saudis

[emad]

By Angela Jameson, Industrial Correspondent



BAE SYSTEMS was celebrating the first big export order for the Eurofighter last night after Britain and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding that could secure £10 billion of work for the British firm and its sub-contractors.

It is thought that up to 72 Typhoon jets will be delivered to the kingdom from 2008, but neither government would confirm the size of the order.


The agreement to replace British-made Tornados and other jets with Eurofighter Typhoons is seen as a significant breakthrough for the Eurofighter, which so far has been sold only to the air forces of the home manufacturing countries — Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain — and Austria.

The huge order, which has been under negotiation for most of this year, is seen as confirmation that the jet can sell around the world. There had been fears that Eurofighter work could dry up in the next few years as a long-planned third tranche has yet to be finally confirmed. President Chirac of France has also been lobbying hard to try to persuade Saudi Arabia to buy the French-built Rafael jet.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-1953223,00.html


NB: BAe is the Uk defense contractor that has admitted doshing up Chile's General Pinochet since 1978......

[cosmicdot]

1. making the world safer and more secure

... by arming it with more weapons of mass destruction ... proliferation just goes so well with the War on Terror ... today's business buddy ... tomorrow's Axis of Evil ... as long as profits are made ... so, who is really with us and who is really against us??


... oh, I see ... this IS part of the "War on Terror" <sarcasm>


so, are politicians like Joe Lieberman good with this deal?

wonder if the Carlyle Group still has a partnership with BAe?



Wonder what Hill members have stock in BAe? My curious mind would like to know.


Although these names are affiliated with the BAe's North American division ... they provide some insight of the BAe corporate culture ... the BAe Systems Inc. Board of Directors includes:

Dr. Robert S. Cooper, former Director, DARPA

Lee H. Hamilton, former Member of Congress and Chair of the House Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees (what a great Democrat <sarcasm> no wonder he's a favorite Bu$h commission choice)

Richard J. Kerr, former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence

Gen. Kenneth A. Minihan, (U.S. Air Force, Ret.) former Director, National Security Agency

Adm. Robert Natter (U.S. Navy, Ret.) former Commander of Fleet Forces Command and Atlantic Command

Gen. J.H. Binford Peay, III (U.S. Army, Ret.) former Vice Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army and Commander, U.S. Central Command

Dr. William Schneider, Jr., former Under Secretary State for Security, Science and Technology

Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.) former Commander, U.S. Central Command

Michael J. Turner, Chief Executive, BAE Systems plc

Michael P. Rouse, Group Marketing Director, BAE Systems plc

Mark H. Ronald, President & Chief Executive Officer, BAE Systems Inc.

Sheila Cheston, Sr. Vice President & General Counsel, BAE Systems Inc.

Robert J. Fitch, Sr. Vice President, Government Relations, BAE Systems Inc.

Robert Murphy, Sr. Vice President and CFO

http://www.na.baesystems.com/board.cfm

[bobthedrummer]

2. Oh yes, BAE and the Saudis have a bit of history together

This April 2004 Cryptome article suggests that BAE commissions helped finance terrorism.
http://cryptome.org/soil/soiled-dove2.htm

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

4. Al-Yamamah - "the biggest sale ever, of anything, to anyone, by anyone."

- Financial Times, cited:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/1939250.stm

[wakeme2008]

3. What George's Saudi friends did not buy

F-22 Fators :rofl: