Saudi oil giant wants to buy Ukrainian drones to strengthen defenses against Iran
Illustrative photo: Saudi Aramco wants to protect oil fields from Shahed attacks with Ukrainian interceptor drones (Getty Images)
Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco is in talks with two Ukrainian companies to purchase interceptor drones to protect oil fields from Iranian Shahed attacks, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The unnamed sources told the outlet that the Saudi company is eager to secure Ukrainian drones ahead of its government and regional competitors, including Qatar.
Saudi Aramco is reportedly negotiating with Ukrainian firms SkyFall, producer of the P1-SUN interceptor drone, and Wild Hornets, producer of the Sting interceptor drone.
The Saudi government is also holding talks with Ukraine about buying interceptor drones.
Additionally, WSJ sources said Saudi officials are discussing with the Ukrainian company Phantom Defense the potential acquisition of electronic warfare systems designed to disable drone communications.
These rumors emerged after an incident on Saturday, March 7, when a drone, believed to have been launched from Iran, struck the Saudi Berri oil field.
Ukrainian experts head to the Middle East
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian specialists in Shahed drones would be deployed to the Middle East.
On March 9, Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine sent interceptor drones and a team of experts to protect US military bases in Jordan.
Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that Saudi Arabia plans a large-scale purchase of Ukrainian interceptor drones, with the contract potentially worth millions of dollars.
