Saudi weighs Eurofighter, F-15 for new fighter deal

PARIS, June 18 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is stepping up efforts to acquire advanced fighter jets to renew its combat fleet amid growing security concerns in the Gulf region over Iran, two sources following the matter said on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia is in talks with Britain over possibly doubling a recent purchase of 72 Eurofighter Typhoons with an add-on purchase buttressed by a support deal, and has held exploratory talks with Boeing (BA.N) on adding more F-15s, the sources said. "Saudi Arabia has not finalised its requirements or decided if it will hold a competition or go with one player," said a source who has followed the discussions.
British BAE Systems (BAES.L), which coordinates production of Eurofighter Typhoons recently sold to Saudi Arabia, and F-15 manufacturer Boeing (BA.N) both declined to comment.
The Eurofighter consortium, which also contains European aerospace group EADS (EAD.PA) and Finmeccanica of Italy, also declined to comment. (Reporting by Tim Hepher and Andrea Shala-Esa; Editing by Dan Lalor)