Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) has come to its first major air show by having a chalet at the 2019 Paris Air Show.
According to Arab News in an article published June 12, 2019:
Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI) will participate in the 53rd edition of the International Paris Air Show, the world’s premier and largest event dedicated to the aviation and space industry. The event will take place from June 17 to 23 at the Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Center in Paris, France. It will be officially inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron. The exhibition will be attended by SAMI’s board members, executives and senior management.
Featuring an exhibit indoor booth and an outdoor chalet at the show, SAMI will showcase its portfolio of military products and services spanning four business divisions, namely aeronautics, land systems, weapons and missiles, and defense electronics. The company will also explore new business and investment opportunities and the possibility of forming new partnerships and agreements at the trade show, which is expected to attract nearly 350,000 visitors, as well as 2,500 exhibitors who will put their latest defense industries solutions and technologies on display.
And according to the SAMI website:
The vision for SAMI is as follows:
To be among the top 25 military industry companies in the world by 2030, combining the latest technologies and the best national talent to develop military products and services at par with international standards, and achieve the Kingdom’s self-sufficiency in military industries.
And the mission is described as follows:
To develop cutting-edge technologies, manufacture world-class products, and provide high-quality services to scale up the military industries sector and secure necessary supplies for our clients
Second Line of Defense attended a major event involving SAMI in which they signed a keystone agreement on June 18, 2019 with L3 to work together on developing joint capabilities with Saudi Arabia. The SAMI officials at the ceremony highlighted the importance of the agreement and also the incremental approach to working on building out local capabilities in conjunction with L3.
According to the Press Release which followed the signing ceremony:
LE BOURGET, France
L3 Technologies (NYSE:LLL) announced today that it has signed a joint venture agreement with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) to collaborate on electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) and special mission systems projects within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The contract was signed on June 18 in the SAMI Chalet during the Paris Air Show.
In February 2019, L3 and SAMI announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the joint venture.
“Through this partnership, L3 will further establish a long-term presence within the KSA,” said Christopher E. Kubasik, L3’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President.
“This venture with SAMI, which includes research and development, manufacturing, training and sustainment activities, represents a key milestone in the further development and execution of L3’s international growth strategy.”
“We are pleased to partner with L3 as we move towards our goal of creating a Center of Excellence in the Kingdom,” said H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Chairman of SAMI.
“As we continue to support objectives tied to Saudi Vision 2030, this long-term partnership with L3 will help grow the sensor and mission systems industry while creating a comprehensive through-life support structure for our military customers.”
L3 Technologies designs and manufactures industry-leading multi-spectral and multi-sensor EO/IR imaging and targeting sensor systems in addition to fully customizable mission systems for air, land and maritime vessels.
Together, L3 and SAMI will indigenously design and implement these advanced technologies and solutions for a variety of customer-specific applications from a Center of Excellence that will be established in the Kingdom.
This ceremony was a follow-up to the February 2019 L3 and SAMI announcement of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to their joint venture on elector-optical and special mission systems projects within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
With the coming of the new L3/Harris combined company, the SAMI partner can bring additional prospective capabilities to the evolving partnership.