UK defence sales to Saudi Arabia

This file concerns UK arms sale to Saudi Arabia. It contains background papers and correspondence on:

• The UK’s marketing and sales strategy in the context of its wider foreign and defence policy
• Discussions between the Head of Defence Sales (HDS) Sir James Blythe, the Permanent Undersecretary (PUS) Sir A A Acland, Head of Defence Sales C M Chandler, P R H Wright and other officials
• The competition between the UK and the US to sell arms to Saudi Arabia
• Saudi hopes of an 'offsetting programme of British private sector investment in industrial joint ventures'
• The ‘Peace Shield’ Offset programme, a bid by the Dowty Group to be involved in it and a letter to Dowty from the Defence Secretary Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
• Saudi complaints about British restrictions on exporting the latest technology
• The approval of sales off Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) equipment, including 205,000 NBC suits manufactured by J Compton Webb and Sons
• An ‘Armoured Brigade proposal’
• The supply of the Skyshadow ECM Pod radar jamming system
• The appointment of Sir John Akehurst as Senior Military Visitor to Saudi Arabia, a letter of introduction from the Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine to Prince Sultan and an exchange of letters with Crown Prince Abdulla Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
• Spare after-burners supplied by Rolls-Royce for the Lightning aircraft
• A visit by Air Vice Marshal J M D Sutton to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Qatar
• Marconi prospects in Saudi Arabia
• A proposed demonstration of the Challenger tank
• Saudi enquiries concerning the Piranha miniature submarine.

This file also refers to:

• A contract with Northrop Corporation to sell F-5 combat aircraft to Bahrain
• Reports of the acquisition by Iran of British military equipment via Libya and North Korea
• The US plan to support a seven-division Rapid Deployment Force (RDF).