Kingdom’s first integrated defense show to open its doors on March 6 under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud #WDS2022

Saudi’s first-ever World Defense Show ready for launch

Hundreds of global leaders to attend in the presence of international and local industry giants

Event will unlock massive local industry opportunities for global firms

Riyadh, 7th February 2022 – Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show, the global defense and security event to be held in Riyadh under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has officially sold out all exhibition space and is ready to open its doors from 6-9 March 2022.

On March 5th, as a pre-cursor to the inaugural World Defense Show, the first-ever Riyadh Defense Forum, will be conducted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). This high-level, invite-only forum will host hundreds of the most influential military and political figures from across the globe and feature engaging dialogue on the global defense landscape. The IISS Riyadh Defense Forum will be followed by a city-wide Flying Salute, seeing international military aircraft take to the skies of Riyadh. 

Founded by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), World Defense Show will kick off the first day with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring live demonstrations of interoperable defense capabilities across all key domains. High-level representatives from hundreds of industry giants will be coming to the Kingdom, with those taking substantial space across the 800,000 square metre venue including international partners Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Navantia, BAE Systems, L3 Harris and Norinco. They will join more than 450 firms from around 37 countries demonstrating the latest technologies from air, land, sea, space and security in an optimal networking environment for collaboration and innovation.

Reflecting Saudi Arabia’s commitment to defense industry growth, the Saudi pavilion at the show will feature wide participation of government, military and business entities. Partners including main partners Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Guard, Presidency of State Security, GAMI and a number of government entities in the sector, will join local companies including Strategic Partner Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), together showcasing how the Kingdom is unlocking billion-dollar opportunities for global firms amid a drive to localize 50% of its military expenditure under national Vision 2030 objectives.

Andrew Pearcey, Chief Executive Officer at World Defense Show, commented; “The industry response has been overwhelming. It reveals major confidence from the global industry in the Kingdom’s defense market. The inaugural World Defense Show is the ideal opportunity for visitors to further explore the Saudi Arabian defense ecosystem while meeting with key players in a purpose-built venue designed to meet the needs of buyers and suppliers at all levels of the supply chain.

It is an incredible achievement to have a sold-out first edition, showing fantastic promise for future events.”

The centerpiece of the purpose-built event venue will be a 2.7km long and 45-meter-wide aircraft runway with a dedicated control tower, and an interactive command and control center showcasing the event theme of interoperability – a critical topic in the defense industry.

World Defense Show is an interactive platform for governments and industry thought leaders from across the global defense and security supply chain, to help shape the future of defense. As the industry continues to evolve, decision-makers are facing more complex choices than ever before. This makes interoperability across systems increasingly challenging.

Every two years, the show will provide insight and access to technological innovations that are shaping the defense industry: from start-ups and innovators to established multinationals. As one of the world’s top spenders in the defense sector, Saudi Arabia’s geographic location and international presence allows the kingdom to serve as the ideal location for such a show.

Registration for industry professionals is available now through the World Defense Show website and closes in February 2022. All vetted international attendees will receive a complimentary multi-entry visa to Saudi Arabia – valid for one year – to facilitate progress and developments in the Kingdom’s defense industry post-show.