GAMI Governor Ahmad Al-Ohali and WDS CEO Shaun Ormrod
World Defense Show (WDS), the global defence and security event to be held in Riyadh in March 2022 has allocated 85% of its space, providing a platform for global firms to connect with the regional defence market and explore partnership opportunities with more than 100 Saudi firms exhibiting at the show.
The event is being held under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
Key government entities have confirmed their participation at the inaugural show taking place from March 6 to 9. These include the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of National Guard, Ministry of Interior, Presidency of State Security and General Authority for Military Industries, said a statement.
They will be joined by some of the largest local defence firms including Military Industries Corporation, Al-Tadrea, GDC, Middle East Propulsion Company, Saudi Arabian Military Industries, National Company for Mechanical Systems, and Wahaj alongside leading global defense companies such as Embraer, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, NORINCO and Rolls Royce.
The founder of World Defense Show, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), is the regulator, enabler and licensor for the kingdom’s military industry. GAMI is responsible for domestic defence sector development in line with KSA’s commitment to Vision 2030 and to localise 50% of military manufacturing by 2030.
Shaun Ormrod, Chief Executive Officer of World Defense Show, commented: “With over 800 exhibitors, 30,000 visitors and 85 military delegations, World Defense Show will open the local and regional defense industry to partnerships and investments from international defense players.
“This will be the first time the global industry has had such open access to all the opportunities with Saudi defense entities, and we are greatly looking forward to providing the world’s best meeting environment for global industry decision makers.”
The biennial event focusing on defence interoperability across air, land, sea, security and space, will enable the industry to keep pace with developments across defense and technology. The speed at which these developments take place compels the industry to cooperate across borders and domain expertise to generate opportunities throughout the defense value chain.
By connecting key defence contacts, primes, SMEs, and buyers, World Defense Show has laid the foundations to advance the defence industry and address the challenges presented by ever-deeper defence systems integration, said the statement. – TradeArabia News Service