Paris - European aerospace and defence giant EADS has been selected to install Saudi Arabia's electronic border defence shield, after 13 years of bidding and negotiations, the online edition of the French weekly Le Point reported Wednesday. A contract between the Saudi government and EADS was signed late Tuesday in the Saudi city of Jeddah. The value of the contract has been estimated as 2 billion euros (2.81 billion dollars). An official statement is to be issued later Wednesday, the weekly said.
The Saudi Border Guard Development Program (SBGDP) involves the installation of radar and command posts to prevent attacks by sea, land and air along 8,000 kilometers of Saudi border.
EADS was chosen over rivals British Aerospace and the US giant Raytheon as well as the French leader in military electronics Thales.
