The first edition of the World Defense Show (WDS) took place in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), between 6-9 March, 2022. Organized by the Saudi General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) with support from the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), WDS brought together over 600 defense exhibitors from 42 countries.
GAMI Governor Ahmad al-Ohali welcomed the guests to Saudi Arabia’s inaugural defense show, WDS. In his opening remarks, Governor al-Ohali thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman for their support in organizing the historic venue. Governor al-Ohali also highlighted some of the WDS’ key programs such as the Future Talent program, Women in Defense event, Thought Leadership session. He ended by re-emphasizing Saudi Arabia's strategic ambition to localize over 50 percent of defense spending, in line with the Crown Prince’s Vision 2030.
With KSA having the opportunity to play as “the home team” during a major defense event, the Saudis have announced over 50 defense agreements with various companies. Foreign and local companies also took advantage of the high level event and unveiled new military systems, while senior officials and senior executives held tet-a-tet meetings to establish or forward relations. WDS took place in a unique context, where two countries directly at war with each other, Russia and Ukraine, were present to exhibit.
Our 2,2642-word special report (7 pages) provides an overview of the most critical developments from WDS. Our overview is structured as follows:
-Agreements reached: military sales, memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and various other types of agreements, summarized for an easy digestion of information. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Naval Group, Rheinmetall, Hanwha, Norinco, and LigNex1 are some of the big names that inked accords with the Saudi Ministry of Defense, SAMI, GAMI, and other Saudi entities.
-Meetings of Interest: meetings between SAMI and Saudi officials with foreign partners.
-Defense Systems unveiled: land platforms, anti-drone and EW systems, howitzers, unmanned vessels, and more.
-Other Developments: future plans and updates on ongoing projects from SAMI and GAMI.