Saudi Arabia to begin receiving Thunder-2 ballistic missile system in 2022

[Scorpion]

The Saudi Arabia’s military is expected to receive new mobile Thunder-2 short-range ballistic missile system in 2022.
Saudi Arabia is in the middle of receiving first components of the Thunder-2 ballistic missile, which has been jointly developed by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Office, to conducts first firing test in September or October 2019, a Saudi military source told Defence Blog on 3 January.
“The first batch of engines, spare parts and different conventional warheads were delivered to Saudi Arabia for the first phase of the test programme,” said the source, adding that the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces is expected to have the first Thunder-2 ballistic missile system ready for use by 2022.

The new Thunder-2 ballistic missile, also named Grom-2, has a range from 50 to 280 km and is designed to ensure survivability and quick deployment, as well as carrying a variety of warheads to target enemy facilities, assembly areas, artillery, and other targets behind the front lines.
It is based on the Ukrainian ‘Sapsan’ mobile short-range ballistic missile system. The Thunder-2 system is equipped with two solid-propellant single-stage guided missiles with several different conventional warheads, including a cluster munitions warhead and a high explosive-fragmentation warhead. Each one is controlled throughout the entire flight path.
The warheads will have semi-active and active target seeker systems. The system combines an electro-optical guidance system and radar tracker.
Saudi Arabia has been reported to have covertly financed Resaerch & Development work on new missile system, to the tune of about $68 million dollars.

 

[Scorpion]

This comes with full ToT.

 

[Zaslon]

to be honest, I'm not surprised by this move at all. Ukraine is desperate for cash, probably worst then others currently and them selling the Grom-2 along with Transfer of Technology is not surprising because it is going to put a lot $$$ in their wallet.
as I know the Ukrainians have recently sold Saudi Arabia ATGMs just the other day, according to Defence Blog.

 

[Scorpion]

to be honest, I'm not surprised by this move at all. Ukraine is desperate for cash, probably worst then others currently and them selling the Grom-2 along with Transfer of Technology is not surprising because it is going to put a lot $$$ in their wallet.
as I know the Ukrainians have recently sold Saudi Arabia ATGMs just the other day, according to Defence Blog.

True, also Saudi Arabia bough about 55% of antonov and brought it back to life. This tells that Ukraine is very short in cash and willing to do anything to maintain it military facilities.

 

[Jaeger]

the Saudis are moving closer to the Ukrainians, Russians and Chinese because some of the NATO countries are either A. arming Qatar, or B. have emplaced weapon sanctions against the KSA. or C. both.
plus the Ukrainians are in a desperate need of cash, so this doesn't surprise me. if i remember right, the Ukrainians are jointly developing the An-132 and selling the Saudis 30-40 An-178s too.

 

[Joe Shearer]

This comes with full ToT.

I wonder if you could throw some light on what was 'co-developed'; presumably, there was a framework system to work from, and the technology used for that is to be transferred. What was the nature of the customisation that was done to qualify for co-development?

 

[Joe Shearer]

to be honest, I'm not surprised by this move at all. Ukraine is desperate for cash, probably worst then others currently and them selling the Grom-2 along with Transfer of Technology is not surprising because it is going to put a lot $$$ in their wallet.
as I know the Ukrainians have recently sold Saudi Arabia ATGMs just the other day, according to Defence Blog.

The situation is a pain in the ... elbow? Anyone dealing with the Ukrainians is likely to be impaled by Czar Vlad the Bad. So that leaves our neighbours free to deal with them, while we watch from the sidelines, muttering into our beards.

 

[Scorpion]

I wonder if you could throw some light on what was 'co-developed'; presumably, there was a framework system to work from, and the technology used for that is to be transferred. What was the nature of the customisation that was done to qualify for co-development?

The Ukrainian company worked on the design, the rocket engine and the launching system. Saudi Arabia provided the missile guidance system e.g. fiber optic gyroscopes and some other classified components that will be disclosed soon, can not tell right now. The system will come in various versions, tactical, anti missile system and there is one more I guess I will have to confirm before giving misleading information.

https://world-defense.com/threads/saudi-arabia-gets-the-know-how-for-grom-2-missile-system.4835/

Saudi Arabia already transferred the know how, modified it and co developed it with Ukraine.

 

[Joe Shearer]

The Ukrainian company worked on the design, the rocket engine and the launching system. Saudi Arabia provided the missile guidance system e.g. fiber optic gyroscopes and some other classified components that will be disclosed soon, can not tell right now. The system will come in various versions, tactical, anti missile system and there is one more I guess I will have to confirm before giving misleading information.

https://world-defense.com/threads/saudi-arabia-gets-the-know-how-for-grom-2-missile-system.4835/

Saudi Arabia already transferred the know how, modified it and co developed it with Ukraine.

Interesting.

You realise, of course, that there is a keen edge to my interest in this topic.

 

[Scorpion]

Interesting.

You realise, of course, that there is a keen edge to my interest in this topic.

The country is thirsty and working on a fast pace to achieve self sufficiency in this area.

1- Chinese wing loong uav
2- Chinese DF-3 and DF-21D missiles
3- Ukraine AN-132 AN-148 AN-158 AN- 178 Grom-2 and Neptun missiles. AN-variants are developed jointly.
4- Russian TOS-1A, Kornet and in talks to transfer partial S-400 tech
5- South Korea Raybolt (ATGM) and KGGB bomb
6- Spain Navantia corvettes
7- US F-15 partial components
8- US Abrams Partial components
9- US Apache partial components, in fact those partial components Saudi Arabia manufactures are exported back to the US and in use in US army.
10- GBU, Mk and Paveway II
11- Sweden Bill 2 ATGM
12- Bought 49% of Denel, a South African state-owned aerospace and military tech.

I did not mention what else is manufacture locally e.g communication and coordination systems, pods، radars, surveillance systems, ammunition, electronic warfare systems, hand held app, armored vehicles anti mines systems...to name a few.

We have the proper infrastructures built and ready to roll. This is part of Saudi vision 2030. The country is trying to be knowledge based economy away from oil.

 

[Joe Shearer]

The country is thirsty and working on a fast pace to achieve self sufficiency in this area.

1- Chinese wing loong uav
2- Chinese DF-3 and DF-21D missiles
3- Ukraine AN-132 AN-148 AN-158 AN- 178 Grom-2 and Neptun missiles. AN-variants are developed jointly.
4- Russian TOS-1A, Kornet and in talks to transfer partial S-400 tech
5- South Korea Raybolt (ATGM) and KGGB bomb
6- Spain Navantia corvettes
7- US F-15 partial components
8- US Abrams Partial components
9- US Apache partial components, in fact those partial components Saudi Arabia manufactures are exported back to the US and in use in US army.
10- GBU, Mk and Paveway II
11- Sweden Bill 2 ATGM
12- Bought 49% of Denel, a South African state-owned aerospace and military tech.

I did not mention what else is manufacture locally e.g communication and coordination systems, pods، radars, surveillance systems, ammunition, electronic warfare systems, hand held app, armored vehicles anti mines systems...to name a few.

We have the proper infrastructures built and ready to roll. This is part of Saudi vision 2030. The country is trying to be knowledge based economy away from oil.

I see in this a stiff and difficult task in terms of materials management and procurement. This is true of each and every military service of any substance, any size, but naturally, there must be constant thought in the minds of the leadership about the need to converge systems and interconnects; impossible to homogenise at lower levels, but at least military buses and interconnect protocols need to be nudged closer together. Otherwise there is a fortunate to be made by a third-party agency specialised in interconnection.

 

[Scorpion]

I see in this a stiff and difficult task in terms of materials management and procurement. This is true of each and every military service of any substance, any size, but naturally, there must be constant thought in the minds of the leadership about the need to converge systems and interconnects; impossible to homogenise at lower levels, but at least military buses and interconnect protocols need to be nudged closer together. Otherwise there is a fortunate to be made by a third-party agency specialised in interconnection.

Its going to be a bit pain in the front door to synchronize especially if you are adding eastern stuff into your western structured school.