Saudi Arabia Secretly Ordered Russian Pantsir-S1 Air Defense Systems
Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems were secretly delivered to Saudi Arabia in 2023. This became known in a publication by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), based on leaked documents from the Russian holding company Roselectronics. This holding is involved in the implementation of a EUR2.2 billion contract signed on April 8, 2021, to supply the Saudi Ministry of Defense with Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun systems.
The contract is for a five-year period and includes the supply of 39 Pantsir-S1 combat vehicles, ten mobile battery command posts, and anti-aircraft missiles to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi side transferred the first payment under the contract in the amount of 326 million euros in August 2021.
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According to the document, the delivery of the Pantsir-S1M air defense system was started in 2023.
The systems are delivered on a KAMAZ-53958 (8x8) chassis with an armored cab manufactured by Remdiesel. Also, according to the publication, the Russian side presented Saudi Arabia with three draft agreements for further cooperation on the Pantsir-S1M surface-to-air missile system. The first project proposed the construction of service facilities in Saudi Arabia, and the second proposed the creation of a training center in Jeddah for personnel training.
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The third project proposed the construction of a plant in Saudi Arabia to produce Pantsirs and ammunition for them with a significant degree of localization. However, it is unclear whether those agreements had been signed.
As a reminder, in 2024, India also became interested in developing a new Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system with Russia.
The new version of the Pantsir is planned to replace the Soviet Tunguska and Shilka systems in the Indian Artillery Corps.