 American companies seemed guaranteed to win the contract, but, due to the efforts of BAC, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) looked towards British aircraft and equipment to fulfill their needs.By 1964, BAC conducted demonstration flights of their Lightning in Riyadh and, in 1965, Saudi Arabia signed a letter of intent to purchase Lightning and Strikemaster aircraft as well as Thunderbird surface-to-air missiles.The main contract was signed in 1966 for forty Lightnings and twenty-five (ultimately forty) Strikemasters.