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Lockheed Martin announces at Dubai Airshow $263M contract for Saudi F-15 services

Associated Press
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Hakan Buskhe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saab, left, and UAE Major General Major General Abdullah Al Hashimi shake hands as they hold a model of the Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft during the second day of the Dubai Airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense announced on Monday a $1.27 billion deal for upgraded Saab surveillance systems on Bombardier aircraft. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (The Associated Press)

UAE Major General Abdullah Al Hashimi looks at a model of the Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft during the second day of the Dubai Airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense announced on Monday a $1.27 billion deal for upgraded Saab surveillance systems on Bombardier aircraft. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (The Associated Press)

Hakan Buskhe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saab, center, talks to the journalists at a press conference to announce a UAE Ministry of Defense $1.27 billion deal for upgraded Saab surveillance systems on their Bombardier aircraft during the second day of the Dubai Airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. The deal is the largest announced so far at the biennial Dubai Airshow, which runs until Thursday at the site of the emirate’s newest airport, Al Maktoum International. Saab said the deal is for a new version of its Erieye radar system, which will be aboard the Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (The Associated Press)

Lockheed Martin says it has been awarded a $262.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to service Saudi Arabia's F-15 sniper targeting system and radars that allow for day and night low-level navigation.

The deal announced Monday comes as Saudi Arabia leads a war in Yemen and is part of the U.S.-led coalition bombing the Islamic State group in Syria.

It is the first major deal announced at the biennial Dubai Airshow, which will run until Thursday.

Compared with the previous airshow in 2013, which included announcements of $140 billion in Boeing and Airbus orders, this year's show has been largely a chance for major Gulf carriers to showcase their new planes and for international businesses to meet potential aviation and aerospace clients in the region.