View source for Organization:Royal Saudi Air Defense

{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= Royal Saudi Air Defense
|native_name=الدِفَّاع الجوّي المَلكِيَّ السُّعُودِيَّ
|image= Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces Logo2.svg
|caption= Emblem of the RSADF
|country= {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}
|allegiance= CTHM
|branch= Defense
|type= Air defense
|role= [[Social:Aerial warfare#Anti-aircraft warfare|Aerial warfare]]
|size= 40,000 (2015 est.)<ref name="Strategic and International Studies"/><ref name="BusinessInsider"/>
|command_structure= Royal Armed Forces
*GSP (as of 1981)<ref name="Moqatel"/>
|garrison= [[Place:Riyadh|Riyadh]] (central HQ)<ref name="Moqatel"/>
|garrison_label= Headquarters
|nickname=
|motto= 
|colors= {{color box|#363e2a|{{space|10}}|#78866B|border=#363e2a}}{{space|2}}{{color box|#78866B|{{space|10}}|#363e2a|border=#78866B}}
|colors_label=      
|mascot= 
|equipment= 
|equipment_label= 
|battles= Action of June 5, 1984<br>Gulf War<br>Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
|anniversaries=
|start_date={{start date|1930|df=yes}}{{Efn|1930–1955 (as a part of the Artillery Arm of the Saudi Army)<ref name="Royal Saudi Land Forces History"/> {{space|2}} 1956–1963 (as a part of the formation of the Artillery Corps)<br>{{space|2}} 1963–1983 (an independent corps of the R.S. Land Forces) {{space|5}} 1984– present (fourth armed service branches of the MOD).}}
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
|website= {{url|http://www.rsadf.gov.sa|www.rsadf.gov.sa}}
<!-- Commanders -->
|current_commander = Lt. General Mazyad al-Amro
|notable_commanders=
<!-- Insignia -->
|identification_symbol=[[File:Flag of the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces.svg|175px]]
|identification_symbol_label=Flag
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=
|aircraft_attack= 
|aircraft_bomber= 
|aircraft_electronic= 
|aircraft_fighter= 
|aircraft_interceptor= 
|aircraft_patrol= 
|aircraft_recon= 
|aircraft_trainer= 
|aircraft_transport= 
}}
The '''Saudi Arabian Air Defense Forces''' ({{lang-ar|الدِفَّاع الجوّي المَلكِيَّ السُّعُودِيَّ}}) or officially '''Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces''' ('''RSADF''') is the [[Social:Anti-aircraft warfare|aerial defense]] service branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. It is fourth of the five service branches of the MOD.<ref name="Royal Saudi Land Forces History">{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/gulf/rslf-history.htm|title=Royal Saudi Land Forces History|work=GlobalSecurity.org|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="Moqatel">Al Saud, K. Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, al-Moqatel (in Arabic) online.</ref> It has its HQ in [[Place:Riyadh|Riyadh]],{{Efn|Air Defense Ministry Building designed by Arthur Erickson Architects with Bing Thom}} where there is also an elaborate underground command facility that co-ordinates Arabian Kingdom's advanced "Peace Shield" radar and air defense system, with an estimated 40,000 active duty military personnel in 2015.<ref name="BusinessInsider">{{Cite web|title = Saudi Arabia spends 25% of its budget on its military — here's what it has for the money|url = http://uk.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-spends-25-of-its-budget-on-its-military-2015-12|website = www.uk.businessinsider.com|access-date = 21 March 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160102192738/http://uk.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-spends-25-of-its-budget-on-its-military-2015-12|archive-date = 2 January 2016|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Strategic and International Studies">{{cite book|author=Anthony Cordesman|title=Saudi Arabia: National Security in a Troubled Region|work=Center for Strategic and International Studies|date=2009|language=en|pages=387}}</ref> Along with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), it has responsibility for securing the skies of Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Royal Saudi Air Defence Force - Responsibilities|url=https://www.rsadf.gov.sa/Subs.aspx?ID=7}}</ref>

==Overview==

Towards the end of the 1970s, a paradigm shift occurred with the SAAF with the making of the RSAD Corps as a separate and equivalent service, equal to the Army, Navy, and {{wipe|Royal Saudi Air Force}}. It is no longer subordinate to the RSLF. The impetus behind this shift is the ever-changing threat. The concern by the Kingdom of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their mechanism of delivery, resulted in the early understanding by the MoD of the requirement to transform, and thus the creation of the RSADF.<ref name="globalsecurity">{{Cite web 
|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/gulf/rsadf.htm
|title=Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces
|work=globalsecurity.org 
|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref>

Between 2017 and 2020, the RSAF claimed the interception of 311 cruise missiles and 343 suicide drones but failed to stop all the attacks against the strategic Saudi sites of the Houthi movement and [[Religion:Iran|Iran]].<ref>https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/attaque-suicide-en-arabie-saoudite-nouvel-chec-du-systme-patriot-24435</ref>

===Peace Shield===

* Remote-controlled air/ground radio communications sites.
* 17 [[Company:Lockheed Martin|Lockheed Martin]] AN/FPS-117 long-range [[Engineering:Phased array|phased array]], 3-dimensional air search [[Engineering:Radar|radar]].
* 6 Northrop-Grumman AN/TPS-43 portable 3-dimensional tactical air search [[Engineering:Radar|radar]].
* [[Company:Raytheon|Raytheon]] Improved HAWK air defense missile system.
* [[Company:Raytheon|Raytheon]] MIM-104 Patriot air defense missile system
* Oerlikon Contraves Skyguard 35mm Twin Cannon Short Range air defense system
* [[Company:Lockheed Martin|Lockheed Martin]] THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system.
Source:<ref>Janes-Military-Communications, 5 July 2005, ''[http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Military-Communications/Peace-Shield-Saudi-Arabia.html Peace Shield (Saudi Arabia), Systems] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928042231/http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Military-Communications/Peace-Shield-Saudi-Arabia.html |date=28 September 2010 }}'' Retrieved 2012-01-23</ref>

==Past Inventory==
{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align:center; background:#acc;"|Weapon
! style="text-align: center; background:#acc;"|Origin
! style="text-align:left; background:#acc;"|1990
! style="text-align:center; background:#acc;"|2000
! style="text-align: center; background:#acc;"|2005
! style="text-align: center; background:#acc;"|2006
|-
|+RSAD Inventory<ref>Cordesman, A. H., Al-Rodhan, K. R. (2006). Gulf Military Forces in an Era of Asymmetric Wars. United Kingdom: Praeger Security International. P. 208</ref>
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7"| Anti-Aircraft Artillery
|-
| M163 VADS
| {{wipe|United States}}
| 92
| 92
| 92
| 92
|-
| AMX-30SA
| {{wipe|France}}
| 50
| 50
| 50
| 50
|-
| [[Engineering:Oerlikon GDF|Oerlikon GDF]]
| {{wipe|Switzerland}}
| 128
| 128
| 128
| 128
|-
| Bofors 40mm L/70
| Sweden
| 150
| 150
| 150
| 70
|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7"| Surface-to-Air Missiles
|-
| Shahine
| France
| 141
| 141
| 141
| 141
|-
| I-HAWK
| United States
| 128
| 128
| 128
| 128
|-
| Crotale
| France
| 0
| 40
| 40
| 40
|-
| FIM-92A Stinger/Avenger
| United States
| 0
| 0
| 400
| 400
|-
| FIM-43 Redeye
| United States
| 0
| 0
| 500
| 500
|-
| [[Engineering:Mistral (missile)|Mistral]]
| France
| 0
| 0
| 500
| 500
|-
| PAC-2 Patriot
| United States
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 640
|-
|}

==See also==
* Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force

==Notes==
{{Noteslist}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.rsadf.gov.sa/ R.S. Air Defense] official website
** [http://www.moqatel.com/openshare/mokatel-b.htm Moqatel] (Warrior Desert)


[[Category:Aerial warfare]]

{{Sourceattribution|Royal Saudi Air Defense|1}}