The Aviation and Space Systems Sector, an affiliate of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), signed on Monday a contract with Airbus Helicopters Arabia, the Kingdom’s subsidiary of Airbus helicopters to support SAMI in building its technical capabilities to provide rotercraft technical support to Saudi Armed forces.
The agreement will play a key role in equipping the staff with vital helicopter airframe maintenance skills and enhance its repair capabilities for landing gears, engines, engine accessories, and blades within the Industrial Partnership Agreement with GAMI, the local MRO players, and the Aircraft Accessories and Components Company (AACC), a SAMI’s subsidiary.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK which is being held from July 18 - 21 July.
Commenting on the contract, Eng. Walid Abukhaled said: “We are pleased to further strengthen our partnership with Airbus, a major helicopter manufacturer in the industry.”
“This contract will contribute greatly to our ongoing technology and human capital localization efforts through extensive training to accelerate development,” he added.
“We look forward to welcoming Airbus Helicopter’s dedicated staff, who will enable our national talents to gain valuable experience throughout the duration of the agreement.”
Mickael Bertrand, CEO of Airbus Helicopters Arabia, said: “It is with great pride that we embark on this new collaboration with SAMI Aerospace. We are dedicated to empowering one of the region’s most significant industry players through our own personnel’s expertise.”
“This contract also represents an invaluable opportunity to be part of and strengthen our support to the Kingdom’s rapidly developing defense ecosystem.”
SAMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Arabia's national champion of defense industries.
Also on Monday, SAMI signed a number of major agreements with a leading Singaporean technology defense and engineering group ST Engineering.
The agreements will support SAMI in producing cutting-edge defense systems toward executing its development and growth strategies in various defense equipment and capabilities, as well as technical support and training.
With these agreements, SAMI and ST Engineering anticipate close collaboration to further fortify the Kingdom’s defense capabilities.
ST Engineering was selected by SAMI as an original equipment manufacturer partner based on its expertise and track record in both the production and supply chain of defense-related equipment.
Aiming to capitalize upon the Singaporean group’s solid brand and reputation globally, the agreements represent SAMI’s continued commitment to partnerships that create a competitive advantage.
Eng. Abukhaled said: “We are proud to undertake these new ventures with ST Engineering, which has consistently stood out as a global leader in the defense sector.”
“With these new initiatives comes a bright opportunity to leverage supply chain capabilities and fortify our local position as the Kingdom drives towards defense sector autonomy in line with the objective of Vision 2030.”
Vincent Chong, Group President & CEO, ST Engineering, said: “We are extremely pleased to partner with SAMI in this collaboration to deliver high performance and robust defense solutions. This is in line with our international defense efforts in establishing strong local partnerships.”
SAMI’s collaboration with ST Engineering first kicked off in 2019 when teams from both organizations worked in unison to develop a joint partnership. The partnership continues to focus on sustainable practices and adding value to defense capabilities within Saudi Arabia.
