Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and on his behalf, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defense and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), inaugurated the third edition of World Defense Show in Riyadh. The exhibition, organised by GAMI, runs until 12 February 2026.
Upon his arrival at the venue, His Royal Highness was received by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf, Deputy Minister of Defense; His Excellency Eng. Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, Governor of GAMI and Chairman of the Show’s Supervisory Committee; His Excellency General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of the General Staff; His Excellency Dr. Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari, Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs; and a number of officials.
The inauguration ceremony commenced with the Royal Anthem, followed by remarks from His Excellency Eng. Ahmad Al-Ohali, who expressed gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of GAMI, for their continued patronage of the exhibition since its launch in 2022 and their support for the development of the Kingdom’s defense and military industries.
He commended the presence of His Royal Highness the Minister of Defense at the opening and welcomed distinguished guests, senior officials from friendly and allied nations, and members of the global defense and security community.
In his remarks, Al-Ohali stated that the exhibition has developed into a strategic platform bringing together leading manufacturers, innovators, and investors, reflecting the strong support provided to the defense and security sectors under Saudi Vision 2030. He noted that such exhibitions aim to promote knowledge exchange, facilitate technology transfer, and provide insight into advanced defense industrial capabilities to strengthen the readiness of national forces in addressing potential threats.
He added that national entities worked extensively to ensure the third edition meets its objectives and reflects the Kingdom’s continued progress across sectors under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Concluding his remarks, he renewed his welcome to all participants and expressed his wishes for their success in achieving their objectives through participation in the exhibition.
Following this, His Royal Highness the Minister of Defense and attendees viewed a presentation marking the opening of the third edition of World Defense Show, after which they witnessed the live aerial and static demonstrations.
His Royal Highness also met ministers of defense and senior officials from participating countries at the main platform, where discussions addressed the future of the defense and security industry and opportunities presented by the exhibition.
He then toured the exhibition facilities and halls, which feature participation from more than 1,486 entities representing 89 countries, alongside numerous government entities and major national and international companies. During the tour, His Royal Highness inaugurated several initiatives at the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) pavilion, including SAMI Land Systems Company, the SAMI Industrial Complex for Land Systems, the HEET armoured vehicle project, SAMI Unmanned Systems Company, and the RUKN Programme supporting local content and supply chain development in the military industries sector.
His Royal Highness proceeded to the air zone, where a commemorative photograph was taken with the Saudi Hawks team, and he signed a Hawk T-165 aircraft.
His Royal Highness also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding, in the presence of the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, between the General Authority for Defense Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Agency for Defense Development of the Republic of Korea, covering cooperation in defense research, innovation, and advanced systems development.
Additionally, His Royal Highness signed a memorandum of understanding with His Excellency Robert Kaliňák, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic, on defense cooperation between the two ministries. He also signed an agreement with His Excellency Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Defense of Malaysia, on defense cooperation between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, and a memorandum of understanding with His Excellency Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Somalia, on military cooperation between the two countries.
On this occasion, His Excellency the Governor of GAMI emphasised that such patronage and support serve as a strong catalyst for advancing the Kingdom’s defense and security industry towards global leadership, strengthening military readiness, improving spending efficiency and transparency, and supporting the development of a sustainable domestic defense manufacturing sector integrated with national security entities.
He highlighted the continued progress in localization efforts aligned with Vision 2030 targets to localize over 50 percent of military expenditure by 2030, noting the increase from 4 percent localization in 2018 to approximately 25 percent by the end of 2024.
He added that licensed and authorised facilities reached approximately 344 by the end of the third quarter of 2025, alongside 603 issued licenses and permits covering military manufacturing, supply, and services.
He further stated that the Authority aims for the sector’s contribution to GDP to reach approximately SAR 94 billion by 2030, supporting the creation of around 40,000 direct and 60,000 indirect jobs.
He concluded by noting that the exhibition serves as a strategic tool supporting national localisation goals by providing an environment that strengthens engagement among participants, advances international partnerships in defense and security, and supports technology transfer, workforce development, industrial capacity building, and supply chain integration.