Saudi goes for UK Eurofighter

Saudi Arabia said yesterday it had signed an agreement with Britain to buy 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from BAE Systems for £4.43 billion.

A deal including the jets as well as weapons and long-term maintenance is expected to raise its value to £20 billion.

"A contract was signed between the two governments to buy the plane on Tuesday, Shaaban 29 (September 11) at a cost of £4,430 million," a statement on official news agency SPA said, attributed to a Defence Ministry official.

A source familiar with the negotiations said last week that King Abdullah and Defence Minister Prince Sultan were scheduled to meet to discuss the deal.