Saudi pilot found dead after F-15 plane crash

The pilot of a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 jet which crashed in the Gulf during a routine training exercise late on Sunday has been found dead, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

A statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency named the pilot as Fahad Bin Faleh Al-Msarir.

It added that he was killed in the crash and his body was recovered from the sea.

The plane that crashed was based at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in the kingdom's Eastern Province and piloted by Lieutenant Fahd bin Falih al-Masarir, the defence ministry previously said.

The ministry said the jet went down in Saudi waters and that authorities were investigating the cause of the crash.

Saudi Arabia maintains a powerful air force supplied primarily by equipment made in the United States and Britain.

Last year Washington announced a $29.4bn deal to sell the new F-15, made by Boeing, to the Saudi air force. Industry sources have said the Saudis will buy 84 of the jets.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and main Arab ally of the United States, also has Tornadoes and Typhoons in its air force.