Giraffe X1 radar displayed in Saudi Arabia

A Saab Giraffe 1X radar at an air-defence site in the Al-Sulayyil area during a visit by RSADF commander Lieutenant General Maziad al-Amro. (Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

The Saudi Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a photograph showing a Saab Giraffe 1X radar in the kingdom for the first time on 27 August.

The MoD said the photograph was taken during a visit by Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces (RSADF) commander Lieutenant General Maziad al-Amro to an air-defence site in Al-Sulayyil to inspect training, review modern systems it did not identify, and witness a live-fire shooting exercise.

Mounted on the bed of a pick-up truck, the Giraffe 1X was the Compact Radar Module (CRM) variant that Saab unveiled in June 2024 as a more easily transported and deployed option.

The Giraffe 1X is normally used with short-range air-defence systems, including ones designed to counter small unmanned aircraft. It has proved a popular product, with Saab announcing in May that 100 had been ordered and on 3 July it said 60 had been delivered in the previous 60 days.

The Swedish company has announced orders from Denmark, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, one of which was on Ukraine's behalf, but a Saudi order has not been reported.

Saab announced in October 2025 that the US Army had placed an order worth about USD46 million for Giraffe 1Xs on behalf of a US security cooperation partner it did not identify. Saab said the radars would be delivered from 2026.