Editing Oman (section)

=== Military ===
{{main|Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces}}
[[File:Portsmouth korvet Al-Shamikh Oman 18-10-2011 15-15-51.png|thumb|[[Royal Navy of Oman]] [[Khareef-class corvette]], Al-Shamikh]]
[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute|SIPRI]]'s estimation of Oman's military and security expenditure as a percentage of GDP in 2020 was 11 percent, making it the world's highest rate in that year, higher than [[Saudi Arabia]] (8.4 percent).<ref>[https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex According to SIPRI] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502184705/https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex |date=2 May 2019 }} | [https://sipri.org/sites/default/files/SIPRI-Milex-data-1949-2020_0.xlsx Excel Spreadsheet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224071552/https://sipri.org/sites/default/files/SIPRI-Milex-data-1949-2020_0.xlsx |date=24 February 2022 }}</ref> Oman's on-average military spending as a percentage of GDP between 2016 and 2018 was around 10 percent, while the world's average during the same period was 2.2 percent.<ref name=WBMS>Oman's Military Expenditures. [https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=OM-1W Oman's military expenditures WB] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118010201/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=OM-1W |date=18 January 2023 }} The World Bank. Retrieved 2019.</ref>

Oman's military manpower totalled 44,100 in 2006, including 25,000 men in the army, 4,200 sailors in the navy, and an air force with 4,100 personnel. The [[Royal Household]] maintained 5,000 Guards, 1,000 in Special Forces, 150 sailors in the Royal Yacht fleet, and 250 pilots and ground personnel in the Royal Flight squadrons. Oman also maintains a modestly sized paramilitary force of 4,400 men.<ref name=cordesman>{{cite web|title=The Gulf Military Forces in an Era of Asymmetric War|url=http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/060728_gulf_oman.pdf|publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies|author1=Anthony H. Cordesman|author2=Khalid R. Al-Rodhan|date=28 June 2006|access-date=19 January 2013|archive-date=17 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517100443/http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/060728_gulf_oman.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Royal Army of Oman]] had 25,000 active personnel in 2006, plus a small contingent of Royal Household troops. Despite a comparative large military spending, it has been relatively slow to modernise its forces. Oman has a relatively limited number of tanks, including 6 [[M60A1]], 73 [[M60A3]] and 38 [[Challenger 2]] main battle tanks, as well as 37 aging [[FV101 Scorpion|Scorpion]] light tanks.<ref name=cordesman/>

The [[Royal Air Force of Oman]] has approximately 4,100 men, with 36 combat aircraft and no armed helicopters. Combat aircraft include 20 aging [[SEPECAT Jaguar|Jaguars]], 12 [[BAE Systems Hawk|Hawk]] Mk 203s, 4 Hawk Mk 103s and 12 [[PC-9]] turboprop trainers with a limited combat capability. It has one squadron of 12 [[F-16]]C/D aircraft. Oman also has 4 [[FFA AS-202 Bravo|A202-18 Bravos]] and 8 [[PAC MFI-17 Mushshak|MFI-17B Mushshaqs]].<ref name=cordesman/>

The [[Royal Navy of Oman]] had 4,200 men in 2000, and is headquartered at [[Seeb]]. It has bases at Ahwi, Ghanam Island, [[Mussandam]] and [[Salalah]]. In 2006, Oman had ten surface combat vessels. These included two 1,450-ton [[Qahir-class corvette|''Qahir'' class]] [[corvette]]s, and eight ocean-going [[patrol boat]]s. The Omani Navy had one 2,500-ton [[Nasr al Bahr (L2)|''Nasr al Bahr'' class]] LSL (240 troops, 7 tanks) with a helicopter deck. Oman also had at least four [[landing craft]].<ref name=cordesman/> Oman ordered three [[Khareef-class corvette|''Khareef'' class]] corvettes from the [[VT Group]] for £400&nbsp;million in 2007. They were built at [[Portsmouth]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Testing times for corvette|url=http://www.maritimephotographic.co.uk/blog/testing-times-for-corvette/|publisher=Maritime Photographic|date=15 March 2012|access-date=21 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013091037/http://www.maritimephotographic.co.uk/blog/testing-times-for-corvette/|archive-date=13 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2010 Oman spent US$4.074&nbsp;billion on military expenditures, 8.5% [[List of countries by military expenditure share of GDP|of the gross domestic product]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://milexdata.sipri.org |title=The SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |access-date=29 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328072123/http://milexdata.sipri.org/ |archive-date=28 March 2010 }}</ref> The sultanate has a long history of association with the British military and defence industry.<ref>{{cite news|title=A balancing act|url=http://www.economist.com/node/14442346?zid=308&ah=e21d923f9b263c5548d5615da3d30f4d|newspaper=The Economist|date=15 September 2009|access-date=19 January 2013|archive-date=28 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228184039/http://www.economist.com/node/14442346?zid=308&ah=e21d923f9b263c5548d5615da3d30f4d|url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[SIPRI]], Oman was the 23rd largest arms importer from 2012 to 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php|title=TOP LIST TIV TABLES|work=SIPRI|access-date=22 June 2017|archive-date=14 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214003447/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>