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Saudi SAMI Signs Agreements with Airbus Helicopter Arabia, Singapore's ST Engineering

The Aviation and Space Systems Sector signs a contract with Airbus Helicopters Arabia to support SAMI in building its technical capabilities to provide rotercraft technical support to Saudi Armed forces. (SAMI)
The Aviation and Space Systems Sector signs a contract with Airbus Helicopters Arabia to support SAMI in building its technical capabilities to provide rotercraft technical support to Saudi Armed forces. (SAMI)
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Saudi SAMI Signs Agreements with Airbus Helicopter Arabia, Singapore's ST Engineering

The Aviation and Space Systems Sector signs a contract with Airbus Helicopters Arabia to support SAMI in building its technical capabilities to provide rotercraft technical support to Saudi Armed forces. (SAMI)
The Aviation and Space Systems Sector signs a contract with Airbus Helicopters Arabia to support SAMI in building its technical capabilities to provide rotercraft technical support to Saudi Armed forces. (SAMI)

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.

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EU Slaps Chinese Electric Cars with Tariffs of up to 38%

A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV manufacturers were unfairly undercutting European rivals © STR / AFP/File
A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV manufacturers were unfairly undercutting European rivals © STR / AFP/File
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EU Slaps Chinese Electric Cars with Tariffs of up to 38%

A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV manufacturers were unfairly undercutting European rivals © STR / AFP/File
A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV manufacturers were unfairly undercutting European rivals © STR / AFP/File

The European Union on Thursday slapped extra provisional duties of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric car imports because of Beijing's "unfair" support, a move that risks escalating tensions with Beijing.
A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV manufacturers were unfairly undercutting European rivals -- which Brussels wants to shield as they make the transition from thermal to electric power, AFP reported.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU slammed the tariffs, coming on top of current import duties of 10 percent, as "politically-motivated" and "protectionist", while voicing hope the dispute could yet be resolved through dialogue.

Europeans are split on the move, with Germany and its homegrown auto champions, who do significant trade with China, fearing it will do more harm than good if it leads to a clampdown on EU exports as Beijing has already threatened.

German auto giant Volkswagen slammed the move as "detrimental" while the head of BMW said the tariff battle "leads to a dead end".

France and Italy have pushed for tariffs on Chinese EVs -- whose EU market share has skyrocketed -- but Sweden like Germany has expressed reservations, while Hungary is outright opposed.

The provisional tariffs kick in from Friday, with definitive duties to take effect in November for a five-year period, pending a vote by the EU's 27 states.

"Our investigation... concluded that the battery electric vehicles produced in China benefit from unfair subsidisation, which is causing a threat of economic injury to the EU's own electric car makers," the EU's trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said.

In response, the commission imposed provisional duties on major Chinese manufacturers including 17.4 percent for market major BYD, 19.9 percent for Geely and 37.6 percent for SAIC.

Other producers in China that cooperated with Brussels will face a tariff of 20.8 percent, while those that did not would be subject to the maximum 37.6 percent duty.

US tech billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla -- which manufactures in China -- is the only electric automaker to have asked Brussels for its own duty rate, to be calculated based on evidence it has submitted.

The Tesla Model 3 would be affected as well as the electric Mini, the Volvo EX40 and all other non-Chinese branded cars made in China.
The move comes despite the opening of talks between Chinese and EU trade officials, and trade chief Dombrovskis said Brussels will continue "to engage intensively with China on a mutually acceptable solution".

China's electric car maker Nio said it still hoped for a resolution with the EU, while fellow EV maker XPeng said it would "find ways to minimise the impact on consumers" without changing its international strategy.

EU officials have indicated that, should a negotiated solution emerge, they may not ultimately need to levy the tariffs.

But Dombrovskis cautioned that "any negotiated outcome to our investigation must clearly and fully address EU concerns and be in respect of WTO rules."

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, told AFP the move "would obviously have a negative impact on the development of China's EV industry, especially its development in the EU in the short term."

Beijing has already signalled its readiness to retaliate by launching an anti-dumping probe last month into pork imports, and Chinese media suggest further probes could be in the works.
The United States has already hiked customs duties on Chinese electric cars to 100 percent, while Canada is considering similar action.

But Brussels faces a delicate balancing act as it seeks to defend Europe's auto industry -- the jewel in its industrial crown -- while both avoiding a damaging showdown with China and meeting its targets for slashing carbon emissions.

The EU aims for Europeans to switch massively to electric vehicles as it plans to outlaw the sale of new fossil fuel-powered cars from 2035.

Chinese-made EVs' market share in the EU climbed from around three percent to more than 20 percent in the past three years, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

Chinese brands account for around eight percent of that share, it said.

Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy, alongside Austrian institutes, predicted the provisional higher taxes would reduce vehicle imports from China by 42 percent.

Electric car prices could rise by an average of 0.3 to 0.9 percent in the EU, they added.

German auto manufacturers fear any retaliation could hurt their activities in China.

Duties were "generally not suitable for strengthening the competitiveness of the European automotive industry in the long term -- we reject them", Volkswagen said.