LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s leading defense organizations are this week taking part in Defense and Security Equipment International in London, an arms fair that brings together global leaders from the security and military industries.
The General Authority for Military Industries is supporting the pavilion at the event, which includes entities such as Saudi Arabian Military Industries, Saudi Chemical Co. Ltd., Saudi Co. GDC Middle East and the World Defense Show.
Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing significant changes to its defense sector. As part of Vision 2030, it plans to become a global manufacturing and technology hub and localize more than half of its military spending.
A view of Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at the Defense and Security Equipment International arms fair in London. (Bahar Hussain/AN Photo)
Although the Kingdom is one of the world’s major arms importers — sourcing nearly 74 percent of its weapons from the US, with the rest coming from Spain, the UK and France — its spending on foreign weapons fell by almost 41 percent between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The drop was due to temporary delays in deliveries, resulting from the gap between using and replacing weapons, the institute said.
In May, the US and Saudi Arabia signed a $142 billion arms deal, which the White House described as the largest defense sales agreement in history.
Saudi Arabia wants to position itself as a kind of core around innovation. So the show’s theme really is about positioning the Saudi defense industry as a hub for innovation
Andrew Pearcey, CEO
The third edition of the World Defense Show will be held in Riyadh in February. More than 80 countries and 925 exhibitors are expected to take part in the event, whose theme is “The Future of Defense Integration.”
WDS CEO Andrew Pearcey said: “The future of defense integration is really mirroring what’s going on in the industry, which is this move to the seamless integration between all of the (military) domains.
“Saudi Arabia wants to position itself as a kind of core around innovation. So the show’s theme really is about positioning the Saudi defense industry as a hub for innovation.”
Ahmad Al-Ohali, the governor of GAMI, on Tuesday launched the Saudi pavilion at the London exhibition in the presence of representatives from the country’s military and diplomatic corps. (GAMI)
One of the features of the show will be the “Future Defense Lab,” which showcases how innovative integration across air, land, sea, space and security can create new commercial and collaborative opportunities.
Others include the “Naval Zone,” which focuses on maritime technology, assets and crafts, and the “Unmanned Systems Zone,” which Pearcey described as one of the highlights.
“We are in the desert and that’s great,” he told Arab News. “We’ve got the area to demonstrate unmanned vehicles and bring in all the latest unmanned technology, (including) robotics in one area and showcase it … in the air or on the ground.”
Since its creation in 2022, the WDS has supported many Saudi small- and medium-sized enterprises operating in the military and security sectors.
We created an area called the ‘Saudi supply chain’, which aims to bring Saudi companies, authorities and international arms manufacturers to work together to try to localize the 50 percent of spending by 2030
Mansour Al-Babtain, VP Commercial Partnerships
Mansour Al-Babtain, vice president for commercial partnerships and liaison, told Arab News that next year’s event aimed to, “put Saudi Arabia in a position of one of those big countries in the defense sector.”
“We created an area called the Saudi supply chain, which (aims) to bring Saudi companies, authorities and international (arms manufacturers) to work together to try to localize the 50 percent (spending) by 2030,” he said.
The former Royal Saudi Air Force fighter pilot said the WDS had, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and 80 colleges and universities, set up the “Future Talent Program” to support the next generation of Saudi defense professionals.
On the aim of February’s show, he said: “Our target is not only to bring exhibitors (to the WDS), but also to bring investors to our country. We are holding an investor program … to encourage international and local investors to be a part of the (Saudi defense) sector.”
GAMI was established in 2017 and is Saudi Arabia’s military regulator. (Bahar Hussain/AN Photo)
The show would also include a “Meet the KSA” feature that would enable investors to meet government authorities who could explain “how the ecosystem works,” he said.
Ahmad Al-Ohali, the governor of GAMI, on Tuesday launched the Saudi pavilion at the London exhibition in the presence of representatives from the country’s military and diplomatic corps. It showcases key products and the industrial capabilities Saudi Arabia will use to enhance its defense sector.
GAMI, which is the Kingdom’s military regulator, was established in 2017 and formed the WDS as part of a broader strategy to support national security and promote sustainable economic development.
