CEO, World Defense Show
The World Defense Show (WDS) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from March 6-9, will bring together the world of defence and security to demonstrate integration and the future of defence interoperability across air, land, sea, space and space.
Ahead of the mega event, Andrew Pearcey, CEO, World Defense Show, in an interview with Arabian Defence said that WDS will offer defence primes, SMEs and startups the chance to explore opportunities in one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the Middle East, and added that it will also help facilitate international stakeholders’ entry into Saudi Arabia’s defence market, besides shedding light on the new regulatory frameworks and financial incentives available to foreign companies.
While defence spending amounted to 8% of the Kingdom’s GDP in 2021, the Kingdom remains one of the world’s largest defence importers. The local defence industry’s growth potential is still untapped, and as such the shift towards localisation represents a significant investment opportunity for the global defence community.
Saudi Arabia plans to localise 50% of its military expenditure under the national Vision 2030 objectives. How will World Defense Show (WDS) support the realisation of this vision?
Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aims to grow its local defence industry, which currently contributes about 1% of the Kingdom’s total GDP, into a key economic sector. Established in 2017, the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), Saudi Arabia’s defence industry regulator, has begun laying the foundations for a thriving local Saudi defence ecosystem supported by cost-effective and sustainable value chains.
While defence spending amounted to 8% of the Kingdom’s GDP in 2021, the Kingdom remains one of the world’s largest defence importers. The local defence industry’s growth potential is still untapped, and as such the shift towards localisation represents a significant investment opportunity for the global defence community.
World Defense Show, taking place from 6-9 March 2022 in Riyadh, will be the first-ever defence event in Saudi Arabia, offering defence primes, SMEs and startups the chance to explore opportunities in one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the Middle East. To help facilitate international stakeholders’ entry into the Saudi defence market, the event will shed light on the new regulatory frameworks and financial incentives available to foreign companies.
What is World Defense Show offering to defence players looking to enter the Saudi market?
World Defense Show was founded by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) to accelerate the Kingdom’s ambitions to build an indigenous defence industry. By offering unprecedented access to the Saudi defence ecosystem, World Defense Show serves to advance cooperation and collaboration between national and international industry players.
Through a series of tailored networking programmes, investors, enterprising SMEs, and other industry stakeholders will have the opportunity to forge partnerships with the local defence ecosystem. One such networking initiative, the “Meet the KSA government programme”, will give participants privileged access to key decision-makers in the Kingdom’s defence leadership. Meanwhile, the “Meet the Buyer programme” will allow participants to network with the over 150 local defence exhibitors expected to take part in the inaugural event.
Attendees keen to pursue cooperation opportunities beyond the show’s duration will be able to further connect with prospective Saudi defence partners through a complimentary multi-entry visa granted to all World Defense Show’s participants.
Why is the show focused on interoperability and how will WDS serve as the global stage for defence interoperability?
Interoperable systems are considered the most disruptive technologies within the defence landscape and will continue to shape the future of the industry for decades to come. While the development of interoperable defence solutions has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges facing the industry, it is likely to require significant investment and cross-border collaboration.
World Defense Show is ideally positioned to serve as the global platform for defense interoperability due to Saudi Arabia’s geographic location at the centre of three continents, as well as its rapid transformation into one of the leading platforms for international cooperation within the industry.
A dedicated 23,000 sqm demonstration area featuring static displays, live demonstrations, and virtual simulations will allow visitors to witness the critical role of cross-domain interoperability in mission-critical scenarios. Meanwhile, a simulated command and control centre, set to run daily demonstrations, will give participants the chance to experience interoperable systems in an immersive environment.
Saudi Arabia is a key market in the global defence aviation sector. How will WDS showcase air capabilities? What is its offering to aviation players?
Defence aviation, in particular unmanned aerial systems, air defence systems and MRO facilities, is a key priority for investments within GAMI’s localisation agenda, thus creating a new investment ground for the global aviation industry. These opportunities haven’t gone unnoticed by defence and aerospace primes.
Several industry giants, such as Boeing and BAE Systems, have respectively launched manufacturing activities in 2015 and 2017 within the Kingdom. Following in their footsteps, Lockheed Martin formed a joint venture with SAMI last year to localise defence capabilities by training the national workforce to manufacture defense products and transferring knowledge and technology. These agreements signify the plentiful opportunities available to foreign companies willing to support Saudi Arabia’s localization-driven defense transformation project.
A centerpiece of World Defense Show, the ‘Flying Display Programme’ will feature live demonstrations of the latest aircrafts in leading air forces’ arsenals on a 3km-long and 50m-wide runway across the four days of the event. To promote innovation and integration at all levels of the defence supply chain, aviation and aerospace startups will have the opportunity to showcase the latest technologies within the space through a dedicated “Start-Up Zone”.
